ALBERT

Description: We observed a pronounced, yet reversible tissue reduction in the tropical sponge Aplysinella sp. under non-experimental conditions in its natural habitat, after transfer into seawater tanks, as well as after transplantation from deep to shallow water in the field. Tissue reduction resulted in the formation of small “reduction bodies” tightly attached to the sponge skeleton. Although volume loss and gain were substantial, both tissue reduction and regeneration were often remarkably rapid, occurring within few hours. Microscopic analysis of the reduction bodies revealed morphological similarities to previously described sponge primmorphs, with densely packed archaeocytes and spherulous cells enclosed by a thin layer of epithelial-like cells. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) revealed pronounced changes in the sponge-associated microbial community upon tissue reduction during laboratory and field experiments and following changes in ambient conditions after transplantation in the field. Generally, the microbial community associated with this sponge proved less stable, less abundant, and less diverse than those of other, previously investigated Verongid sponges. However, one single phylotype was consistently present in DGGE profiles of Aplysinella sp. This phylotype clustered with γ-proteobacterial sequences found previously in other sponge species of different taxonomic affiliations and geographic provenances, as well as in sponge larvae. No apparent changes in the total secondary metabolite content (per dry weight) occurred in Aplysinella sp. upon tissue reduction; however, comparative analysis of intact and reduced tissue suggested changes in the concentrations of two minor compounds. Besides being ecologically interesting, the tissue reduction phenomenon in Aplysinella sp. provides an experimentally manipulable system for studies on sponge/microbe symbioses. Moreover, it may prove useful as a model system to investigate molecular mechanisms of basic Metazoan traits in vivo, complementing the in vitro sponge primmorph system currently used in this context.

Description: The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is part of a global redistribution system in the ocean that carries vast amounts of mass, heat, and freshwater. Within the AMOC, water mass transformations in the Nordic Seas (NS) and the overflows across the Greenland-Scotland Ridge (GSR) contribute significantly to the overturning mass transport. The deep NS are separated by the GSR from direct exchange with the subpolar North Atlantic. Two deeper passages, Denmark Strait (DS, sill depth 630 m) and Faroe Bank Channel (FBC, sill depth 840 m), constrain the deep outflow. The outflow transports are assumed to be governed by hydraulic control (Whitehead 1989, 1998). According to the circulation scheme by Dickson and Brown (1994), there is an overflow of 2.9 Sv (1 Sv = 1 Sverdrup = 106 m3 s–1) through DS, 1.7 Sv through FBC and another 1 Sv from flow across the Iceland%Faroe Ridge (IFR). To the south of the GSR, the overflows sink to depth and then spread along the topography, eventually merging to form a deep boundary current in the western Irminger Sea. During the descent, the dense bottom water flow doubles its volume by entrainment of ambient waters (e.g. Price and Baringer 1994) so that there is a deep water transport of 13.3 Sv once the boundary current reaches Cape Farvel (Dickson and Brown 1994). Thus the overflows and the overflow-related part of the AMOC account for more than 70% of the maximum total overturning, which is estimated from observations to be about 18 Sv (e.g. Macdonald 1998)

Description: The igneous forearc basement along the Pacific coast of northern Central America (between southern Mexico and Costa Rica) comprises a highly tectonized accretionary assemblage of igneous and ultramafic rocks. Volcanic and gabbroic rocks with primitive arc geochemical signatures formed between ∼100 and ≥180 Ma and are interpreted to have originated by arc magmatism resulting from subduction of the Pacific–Farallon plate. Geochemically enriched ocean island basalt (OIB)-like units are interpreted as accreted seamounts and islands of a hotspot track, which was active between ≥220 and 100 Ma and originated from a hotspot located in the central Pacific. Based on their combined Pb, Nd and Hf isotopic compositions an affiliation of these rocks with the Caribbean Large Igneous Province or the present-day Galápagos hotspot appears unlikely. Rocks of similar age and geochemistry are exposed on the Santa Elena Peninsula in Costa Rica, suggesting that a similar forearc basement is accreted to the continental Chortis Block from southern Mexico to Costa Rica.

Description: In this study, the search for new antibiotics was combined with quantitative ecological studies. The cultured fraction of the associated bacterial communities from ten different Mediterranean sponge species was investigated. To obtain quantitative and qualitative data of sponge-associated bacterial communities and to expand the cultured diversity, different media were used. The largest morphological diversity and highest yield of isolates was obtained by using oligotrophic media, which consisted of natural habitat seawater amended with (1% additional carbon sources. The dominant bacterial morphotypes were determined and bacterial isolates were tested for antimicrobial activity and identified using 16S rDNA sequencing. The sponge-associated most abundant morphotypes were all affiliated to the Alphaproteobacteria and showed antimicrobial activity against at least one of the tested strains. In contrast, the ambient seawater was dominated by Gammaproteobacteria. One single alphaproteobacterium, which was related to Pseudovibrio denitrificans, was shown to dominate the cultured community of at least six of the sponges. This designated MBIC3368-like alphaproteobacterium has been isolated from sponges before and seems to be restricted to associations with members of the phylum Porifera. It displays a weak and unstable antimicrobial activity, which gets easily lost during cultivation. However, this bioactive bacterium was present in the sponges by up to 106 cells per gram wet-weight sponge tissue and dominated the cultured fraction with up to 74%. The association of this alphaproteobacterium with sponges is probably evolutionary young and facultative and possibly involves biologically active secondary metabolites. Besides a demonstrated vertical transfer, additional horizontal transfer between the sponges is assumed. Members of the genus Bacillus displaying antimicrobial activity were found regularly, too. However, actinomycetes, which are known for their production of bioactive substances, were present in very low abundance.

Description: We have performed life table experiments to investigate the effects of different food types and concentrations on the larval development and survival up to adulthood of Acartia tonsa. The food species offered comprised a wide taxonomic spectrum: the pigmented flagellates Isochrysis galbana, Emiliania huxleyi, Rhodomonas sp., Prorocentrum minimum, the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii, grown on medium offering enriched macronutrient concentrations and the ciliate Euplotes sp. initially cultured on Rhodomonas. For the ciliate species, also the functional response was studied. In order to avoid limitation by mineral nutrients, food algae have been taken from the exponential growth phase of the nutrient replete cultures. The suitability of Rhodomonas as a food source throughout the entire life cycle was not a surprise. However, in contrast to much of the recent literature about the inadequacy or even toxicity of diatoms, we found that also Thalassiosira could support Acartia-development through the entire life cycle. On the other hand, Acartia could not complete its life cycle when fed with the other food items, Prorocentrum having adverse effects even when mixed with Rhodomonas and Thalassiosira. Isochrysis well supported naupliar survival and development, but was insufficient to support further development until reproduction. With Emiliania and Euplotes, nauplii died off before most of them could reach the first copepodite stages. Acartia-nauplii showed a behavioral preference for Euplotes-feeding over diatom feeding, but nevertheless Euplotes was an insufficient diet to complete development beyond the naupliar stages.

Description: We analyzed enrichment cultures of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) collected from different areas of Salar de Huasco, a high altitude, saline, pH-neutral water body in the Chilean Altiplano. Samples were inoculated into mineral media with 10 mM NH4+ at five different salt concentrations (10, 200, 400, 800 and 1,400 mM NaCl). Low diversity (up to three phylotypes per enrichment) of beta-AOB was detected using 16S rDNA and amoA clone libraries. Growth of beta-AOB was only recorded in a few enrichment cultures and varied according to site or media salinity. In total, five 16S rDNA and amoA phylotypes were found which were related to Nitrosomonas europaea/Nitrosococcus mobilis, N. marina and N. communis clusters. Phylotype 1-16S was 97% similar with N. halophila, previously isolated from Mongolian soda lakes, and phylotypes from amoA sequences were similar with yet uncultured beta-AOB from different biofilms. Sequences related to N. halophila were frequently found at all salinities. Neither gamma-AOB nor ammonia-oxidizing Archaea were recorded in these enrichment cultures.

Description: Chemical defense is assumed to be costly and therefore algae should allocate defense investments in a way to reduce costs and optimize their overall fitness. Thus, lifetime expectation of particular tissues and their contribution to the fitness of the alga may affect defense allocation. Two brown algae common to the SE Pacific coasts, Lessonia nigrescens Bory and Macrocystis integrifolia Bory, feature important ontogenetic differences in the development of reproductive structures; in L. nigrescens blade tissues pass from a vegetative stage to a reproductive stage, while in M. integrifolia reproductive and vegetative functions are spatially separated on different blades. We hypothesized that vegetative blades of L. nigrescens with important future functions are more (or equally) defended than reproductive blades, whereas in M. integrifolia defense should be mainly allocated to reproductive blades (sporophylls), which are considered to make a higher contribution to fitness. Herein, within-plant variation in susceptibility of reproductive and vegetative tissues to herbivory and in allocation of phlorotannins (phenolics) and N-compounds was compared. The results show that phlorotannin and N-concentrations were higher in reproductive blade tissues for both investigated algae. However, preferences by amphipod grazers (Parhyalella penai) for either tissue type differed between the two algal species. Fresh reproductive tissue of L. nigrescens was more consumed than vegetative tissue, while the reverse was found in M. integrifolia, thus confirming the original hypothesis. This suggests that future fitness function might indeed be a useful predictor of anti-herbivore defense in large, perennial kelps. Results from feeding assays with artificial pellets that were made with air-dried material and extract-treated Ulva powder indicated that defenses in live algae are probably not based on chemicals that can be extracted or remain intact after air-drying and grinding up algal tissues. Instead, anti-herbivore defense against amphipod mesograzers seems to depend on structural traits of living algae.

Description: Global warming is associated with increasing stress and mortality on temperate seagrass beds, in particular during periods of high sea surface temperatures during summer months, adding to existing anthropogenic impacts, such as eutrophication and habitat destruction. We compare several expressed sequence tag (EST) in the ecologically important seagrass Zostera marina (eelgrass) to elucidate the molecular genetic basis of adaptation to environmental extremes. We compared the tentative unigene (TUG) frequencies of libraries derived from leaf and meristematic tissue from a control situation with two experimentally imposed temperature stress conditions and found that TUG composition is markedly different among these conditions (all P 〈 0.0001). Under heat stress, we find that 63 TUGs are differentially expressed (d.e.) at 25°C compared with lower, no-stress condition temperatures (4°C and 17°C). Approximately one-third of d.e. eelgrass genes were characteristic for the stress response of the terrestrial plant model Arabidopsis thaliana. The changes in gene expression suggest complex photosynthetic adjustments among light-harvesting complexes, reaction center subunits of photosystem I and II, and components of the dark reaction. Heat shock encoding proteins and reactive oxygen scavengers also were identified, but their overall frequency was too low to perform statistical tests. In all conditions, the most abundant transcript (3–15%) was a putative metallothionein gene with unknown function. We also find evidence that heat stress may translate to enhanced infection by protists. A total of 210 TUGs contain one or more microsatellites as potential candidates for gene-linked genetic markers. Data are publicly available in a user-friendly database at http://www.uni-muenster.de/Evolution/ebb/Services/zostera.

Description: Marine macrobenthic algae (or seaweeds), epiphytic microalgae, and other aquatic plants constitute the main food items of marine herbivorous fishes. About 5% of all fish species are herbivorous; only 30% of these are marine, most of them living in coral reefs. An analysis was performed on all the seaweeds that formed part of the natural diet of these fishes, based on information contained in FishBase (http://www.fishbase.org). The results showed that many coral-reef-associated marine herbivorous fishes, such as the families Blennidae, Kyphosidae and Siganidae, fed selectively on filamentous and turf fleshy seaweeds, which they prefer over calcareous coralline and encrusting species. In particular, Chlorophyceae of the genera Cladophora, Enteromorpha and Ulva were preferred by Scartichthys viridis (Blennidae), Girella spp. (Kyphosidae), Sarpa salpa (Sparidae), and Phaeophyceae in the genera Sargassum and Dictyota were preferred by Kyphosus spp. (Kyphosidae) and Siganus spp. (Siganidae). A web-based tool was developed to provide information on plants (algae, seagrasses, terrestrial plants and fruits) preferred as food by herbivorous fishes (http://www.incofish.org/herbitool.php). The tool is intended to assist aquaculturists, conservationists and ecosystem-based fisheries managers.

Description: The community composition of pelagic copepods near Australia’s North West Cape (21° 49′S, 114° 14′E) was studied during the austral summers of 1997/98 and 1998/99. Most sampling occurred at a shallow (20 m) shelf station and a deeper (90 m) shelf-break station, though on four occasions a set of eight stations were occupied on a 36 km cross-shelf transect. During the El Niño conditions prevalent during the austral summer of 1997/98, episodic upwelling occurred causing intermittent high primary production. During the El Niño conditions of 1997/98, there was a little difference between stations in the spring (October–November), but communities differentiated later in the sampling season (December–February) with a more characteristic inshore community developing at the shelf station. In the La Niña conditions of 1998/99, the community at the shelf break was invariant, but the shelf community was mainly offshore copepods as a result of seasonal downwelling during the spring that was later replaced by an inshore community of more widely distributed species. Over 120 species of copepods were identified, of which the most speciose families were the Corycaeidae (22 spp.), Oncaeidae (〉20 spp.), Paracalanidae (15 spp.) and the Oithonidae (11 spp.). Cross-shelf transects confirmed the existence of a distinct inshore community of copepods, dominated by small species of Paracalanidae and Oithonidae, and which was at least twice as abundant as those at the shelf break. In both summers, there was an onshore–offshore gradient in community composition, with the inshore stations characterized by small paracalanid and oithonid species.

Description: The effect of combined iron, silicate, and light co-limitation was investigated in the three diatom species Actinocyclus sp. Ehrenberg, Chaetoceros dichaeta Ehrenberg, and Chaetoceros debilis Cleve, isolated from the Southern Ocean (SO). Growth of all species was co-limited by iron and silicate, reflected in a significant increase in the number of cell divisions compared to the control. Lowest relative Si uptake and drastic frustule malformation was found under iron and silicate co-limitation in C. dichaeta, while Si limitation in general caused cell elongation in both Chaetoceros species. Higher light intensities similar to SO surface conditions showed a negative impact on growth of C. dichaeta and Actinocyclus sp. and no effect on C. debilis. This is in contrast to the assumed light limitation of SO diatoms due to deep wind driven mixing. Our results suggest that growth and species composition of Southern Ocean diatoms is influenced by a sensitive interaction of the abiotic factors, iron, silicate, and light.

Description: We present new major and trace element and O–Sr–Nd-isotope data for igneous rocks from the western Mediterranean Alborán Sea, collected during the METEOR 51/1 cruise, and for high-grade schists and gneisses from the continental Alborán basement, drilled during the Ocean Drilling Programme (ODP Leg 161, Site 976). The geochemical data allow a detailed examination of crustal and mantle processes involved in the petrogenesis of the lavas and for the first time reveal a zonation of the Miocene Alborán Sea volcanism: (1) a keel-shaped area of LREE-depleted (mainly tholeiitic series) lavas in the central Alborán Sea, generated by high degrees of partial melting of a depleted mantle source and involving hydrous fluids from subducted marine sediments, that is surrounded by (2) a horseshoe-shaped zone with LREE-enriched (mainly calc-alkaline series) lavas subparallel to the arcuate Betic-Gibraltar-Rif mountain belt. We propose that the geochemical zonation of the Miocene Alborán Basin volcanism results from eastward subduction of Tethys oceanic lithosphere coupled with increasing lithospheric thickness between the central Alborán Sea and the continental margins of Iberia and Africa.

Description: In our searching program for bioactive secondary metabolites from marine Streptomycetes, three microbial benzopyrone derivatives (1–3), 7-methylcoumarin (1) and two flavonoides, rhamnazin (2) and cirsimaritin (3), were obtained during the working up of the ethyl acetate fraction of a marine Streptomyces fusant obtained from protoplast fusion between Streptomyces strains Merv 1996 and Merv 7409. The structures of the three compounds (1–3) were established by nuclear magnetic resonance, mass, UV spectra, and by comparison with literature data. Marine Streptomyces strains were identified based on their phenotypic and chemotypic characteristics as two different bioactive strains of the genus Streptomyces. We described here the fermentation, isolation, as well as the biological activity of these bioactive compounds. The isolated compounds (1–3) are reported here as microbial products for the first time.

Description: Abundance, distribution, population structure, lipid content, lipid composition and reproductive and feeding activity of Rhincalanus nasutus were studied in the Gulf of Aqaba and in the northern Red Sea during RV “Meteor”-cruise M 44-2 in February/March 1999. Rhincalanus nasutus occurred in higher numbers in the Gulf of Aqaba (585 ind m−2) than in the northern Red Sea (254 ind m−2). Young developmental stages (nauplii, copepodite stages CI and CII) were absent. In the southern Gulf of Aqaba, the bulk of the population developed from stage CV to adult in the course of the 3-week study period. In contrast, immature CV stages dominated at the adjacent stations in the northern Gulf of Aqaba and in the northern Red Sea. Development was associated with the seasonal vertical migration from wintering mid-water layers and initiation of feeding starting as early as beginning of March in the southern Gulf of Aqaba. No upward migration was observed in the northern parts of the Gulf and in the northern Red Sea, where more than 90% of the females remained immature during our study. Lipids were dominated by wax esters in females and CV. The fatty acid and fatty alcohol compositions of females were very similar throughout the study region and period. Major fatty acids were 18:1(n−9), 16:1(n−7), 16:2(n−4) and 20:5(n−3). Our results support the previous reports of a seasonal dormancy of R. nasutus in the Gulf of Aqaba and suggest that the timing of vertical migration, feeding and maturation is closely coupled to the development of the spring bloom in oligotrophic subtropical waters.

Description: This study describes work aimed at the rapid evaluation of the fatty acid (FA) composition of Turkish Rhododendron species, particularly the leaves and the flowers of the toxic plants, R. ponticum and R. luteum. The FA profiles of the available parts of three other nonpoisonous Rhododendron species were also investigated. Subtotal extracts obtained (using n-hexane, chloroform and methanol) from total chloroform:methanol (1:1) extracts were analyzed and compared to each other. Palmitic acid was found to be the most abundant FA in almost all Rhododendron extracts, and the majority of leaf and flower extracts contained significant portions of C18 unsaturated FAs (18:1n-9, 18:2n-6, 18:3n-3). The n-hexane extracts of R. ponticum leaves and R. luteum flowers were unique, as they contained an unusual series of even-chain iso FAs (C16–C24). Especially the n-hexane extracts were found to comprise uncommon FAs with odd-numbered carbons (C13–C29). Overall, n-hexane proved to be the best solvent by representing the richest FA profile, whereas chloroform or methanol appeared less suitable for FA analyses. Appreciable intra-species variations in FA compositions among the leaves as well as other anatomical parts examined were observed. This study highlights the chemotaxonomical importance of the FAs for the genus Rhododendron.

Description: Human obesity is a main cause of morbidity and mortality. Recently, several studies have demonstrated an association between the FTO gene locus and early onset and severe obesity. To date, the FTO gene has only been discovered in vertebrates. We identified FTO homologs in the complete genome sequences of various evolutionary diverse marine eukaryotic algae, ranging from unicellular photosynthetic picoplankton to a multicellular seaweed. However, FTO homologs appear to be absent from all other completely sequenced genomes of plants, fungi, and invertebrate animals. Although the biological roles of these marine algal FTO homologs are still unknown, these genes will be useful for exploring basic protein features and could hence help unravel the function of the FTO gene in vertebrates and its inferred link with obesity in humans. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Description: The Blato aquifer is situated on the western side of the island of Korčula, southern Dalmatia, Croatia. The terrain is built of karstified carbonate rocks, mostly of the Cretaceous age. In the Blatsko karst polje there are four water supply wells with a total yield of about 60 l/s. The catchment area is 28 km2. The whole terrain is tectonically disturbed and compressed; the most permeable fracture system is perpendicular to the structural “b” axes, which gives rise to a general groundwater direction towards the island’s northern coast. Average precipitation is 850 mm/year, but when there is less than 700 mm/year there is a high possibility of sea-water intrusion during the summer season. The risk significantly increases when dry years repeat. Hydrochemical research has shown that two main pollution sources occur at different hydrological moments: sea-water intrusion happens in the dry summer period when there is maximal extraction and almost no recharge; and the washing of nitrates and other humanly caused pollution indicators from the soil and epikarst belt during the rainy season. All factors must be taken into account when planning management and protection of such a sensitive environment.

Description: The diet of jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) off southern-central Chile is described to examine potential biases in the determination of their main prey. Specimens were collected from catches using different fishing gear (jigging, trawl and purse-seine), from July 2003 to January 2004, and from December 2005 to October 2006. The stomach contents were analyzed in terms of frequency of occurrence, number, and weight of prey items and the diet composition was analyzed using Detrended Correspondence Analysis. In the industrial purse-seine fleet for jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi), the dominant prey of D. gigas was T. murphyi. In the industrial mid-trawl fishery for Patagonian grenadier (Macruronus magellanicus), the dominant species in the diet of D. gigas was M. magellanicus. Similarly, Chilean hake (Merluccius gayi) was the main prey in the diet of D. gigas obtained in the industrial trawl fishery for Chilean hake; and, in both artisanal fisheries (purse-seine for small pelagics and jigging), small pelagic fish and D. gigas were the main prey in the stomach contents of D. gigas. Cannibalism in D. gigas varied between different fleets and probably is related to stress behavior during fishing. The Detrended Correspondence Analysis ordination showed that the main prey in the diet of D. gigas is associated with the target species of the respective fishery. Consequently, biases are associated with fishing gear, leading to an overestimate in the occurrence of the target species in the diet. We recommend analyzing samples from jigging taken at the same time and place where the trawl and purse-seine fleets are operating to avoid this problem, and the application of new tools like stable isotope, heavy metal, and fatty acid signature analyses.

Description: Cephalopod paralarvae and juveniles were sampled with light traps deployed at the surface and deeper in the southern NW Shelf and on Ningaloo Reef off Western Australia during two consecutive summers. One cross shelf transect (Exmouth) was sampled in the late spring and summers of 1997/1998 (summer 1) and 1998/1999 (summer 2), and a second cross shelf transect (Thevenard) and a longshore transect (Ningaloo) along the Ningaloo Reef were sampled in summer 2. Species captured in the order of abundance were octopods, Photololigo sp., Sepioteuthis lessoniana, and Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis. Most were captured in shallow traps except for Photololigo sp., which was common in both shallow and deep traps with larger animals found in deeper water. The presence of Idiosepius pygmaeus in deep water off Ningaloo Reef revealed the species to be eurytopic, inhabiting a wider range of habitats than previously known. Photololigo sp. and S. lessoniana were more abundant inshore, and octopods were especially abundant on mid-depth stations of the Exmouth transect, probably because of the turbulent mixing and increased productivity there. Fewer S. oualaniensis were caught during the first summer on the Ningaloo transect (n = 5) than during the second summer (n = 79).

Description: The reproductive biology of two species of endemic Southern Ocean octopods was investigated around the sub-Antarctic islands of South Georgia and Shag Rocks. The females of both the species produce few, large eggs. This appears to be governed by phylogenetic constraint. No evidence was found for ontogenetic migration or seasonality associated with gonad maturation. Based on oocyte length frequency distributions and observations of oocyte development within the ovary, it is possible that both species could have either a single or multiple-batch spawning strategy. Pareledone turqueti ovaries contained fewer larger oocytes than those of Adelieledone polymorpha, which may help to reduce competition for resources immediately after hatching.

Description: From 1998 to 2001 a total of 200 Ommastrephes bartramii (27 paralarvae) and 170 Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis (14 paralarvae) were sampled from the Central North Pacific. One group of non-paralarval O. bartramii (n = 30) was sampled from farther northwest in 1996. The δ15N of mantle muscle of non-paralarval O. bartramii ( x¯¯¯ = 12.4‰) was significantly greater than that of non-parlarval S. oualaniensis (x¯¯¯ = 8.1‰) (P 〈 0.001). The δ15N of whole paralarvae of O. bartramii (x¯¯¯ = 6.4‰) was not significantly different than parlarvalae of S. oualaniensis (x¯¯¯ = 6.1‰) (P = 0.528). There was no significant difference between the mantle muscle δ15N values of male (n = 95, x¯¯¯ = 13.3‰) and female (n = 18, x¯¯¯ = 12.9 ‰) O. bartramii greater than 300 mm mantle length (ML) (P = 0.15). There was also no significant difference between the mantle muscle δ15N values of male (n = 15, x¯¯¯ = 7.2‰) and female (n = 26, x¯¯¯ = 7.3 ‰) S. oualaniensis in the same size range (P = 0.41). Overall there was a distinct logistic increase in δ15N with mantle length for O. bartramii, whereas S. oualaniensis showed an exponential increase in δ15N with mantle length that was stronger within individual years than with all samples combined. In general, adult O. bartramii are more than a trophic level above S. oualaniensis (4.3‰, 1.3 TLs). Because of the nature of the sampling protocol, this study could not separate spatial and temporal effects on the δ15N signals from each squid species. This study demonstrates the ability of stable isotope analyses to differentiate trophic levels between squid species as well as track trophic changes across size ranges from paralarvae to adults. Additional research is needed to validate these trophic changes across size within individuals.

Description: Female reproductive features have been investigated in five polar and deep-sea bobtail squid genera Rossia and Neorossia (R. macrosoma, R. moelleri, R. pacifica, N.c. caroli and N.c. jeannae). These species are characterized by asynchronous ovary maturation, very large eggs (〉10% ML), fecundity of several hundred oocytes, very high reproductive output, and continuous spawning with low batch fecundity. This adaptive complex of reproductive traits evolved in these small animals as an optimum strategy for polar and deep-water habitats.

Description: Historically, small invertebrate grazers in marine plant communities have been considered to be a relatively homogeneous group in their impact on ecosystem processes. However, recent studies propose that species composition is an important agent in determining grazer effects. We used four mesocosm experiments to test the biomass-specific and density-dependent effects of common mesograzers in temperate regions (Littorina littorea, Rissoa membranacea, Idotea baltica and Gammarus oceanicus) on epiphyte and eelgrass biomass and productivity. Mesograzer species identity strongly influenced epiphyte accumulation and eelgrass growth, where Rissoa was the most efficient mesograzer (per biomass) and Gammarus had the weakest impact. Density-dependent effects varied considerably among species. Both gastropod species reduced epiphyte accumulation in direct proportion to their density, and Littorina had the strongest negative effect on epiphyte biomass. The impact of Idotea seemed to level off to a threshold value and Gammarus had no density-dependent effect on epiphyte accumulation at all. Rissoa and Idotea increased eelgrass productivity in accordance with their effect on epiphyte accumulation, whereas Littorina showed a less positive effect than could be expected by its strong impact on epiphyte biomass. Gammarus had no significant impact on eelgrass growth. Our results show that the different functional traits of superficially similar mesograzers can have important consequences for ecosystem processes in macrophyte systems.

Description: Zooplankton trade-offs to maximize fitness in highly dynamic environments such as estuaries have long been a question of central importance for understanding the ecology and evolution of estuarine populations. We present here the first comprehensive data set on the population dynamics of the copepod Eurytemmora affinis obtained from 50 h high-frequency sampling in the Seine estuary during spring. Maximum densities of E. affinis were associated with low salinities (0.5–10) and recorded during the ebb in the bottom layer. Vertical variations in population structure were observed between ebb and flood, as well as the spatial distribution of developmental stages. Nauplii were concentrated in the low salinity zone just above salinity 5, and copepodids and adults distributed more widely relative to salinity than nauplii in bottom waters, whereas the opposite pattern was observed in surface waters. The sex-ratio and the proportion “ovigerous females:non-ovigerous females” appeared to be related to tidal cycle and depth, with higher relative densities of non-ovigerous females in bottom waters and around low tide. The vertical variations noticed during the tidal cycle suggest a strategy by the species to avoid flushing by surface currents, although it may incur a cost due to the greater presence of predators in bottom waters.

Description: Phase equilibria simulations were performed on naturally quenched basaltic glasses to determine crystallization conditions prior to eruption of magmas at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) east of Ascension Island (7–11°S). The results indicate that mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) magmas beneath different segments of the MAR have crystallized over a wide range of pressures (100–900 MPa). However, each segment seems to have a specific crystallization history. Nearly isobaric crystallization conditions (100–300 MPa) were obtained for the geochemically enriched MORB magmas of the central segments, whereas normal (N)-MORB magmas of the bounding segments are characterized by polybaric crystallization conditions (200–900 MPa). In addition, our results demonstrate close to anhydrous crystallization conditions of N-MORBs, whereas geochemically enriched MORBs were successfully modeled in the presence of 0·4–1 wt% H2O in the parental melts. These estimates are in agreement with direct (Fourier transform IR) measurements of H2O abundances in basaltic glasses and melt inclusions for selected samples. Water contents determined in the parental melts are in the range 0·04–0·09 and 0·30–0·55 wt% H2O for depleted and enriched MORBs, respectively. Our results are in general agreement (within ±200 MPa) with previous approaches used to evaluate pressure estimates in MORB. However, the determination of pre-eruptive conditions of MORBs, including temperature and water content in addition to pressure, requires the improvement of magma crystallization models to simulate liquid lines of descent in the presence of small amounts of water.

Description: We present experiments showing that the lower oceanic crust should melt efficiently and quickly when heated by hot ascending magmas. Average plagioclase–olivine and plagioclase–augite pairs from the lower crust at the Southwest Indian Ridge have melt–mineral saturation boundaries at 1,190 and 1,154°C, respectively, and melt rapidly (〉0.01 mm/h) at 50°C or more above these temperatures. Melting experiments performed on olivine–plagioclase and augite–plagioclase mineral pairs from actual oceanic lower crustal rock samples and under conditions applicable to a MOR setting (1,220–1,330°C, 1 atm, quartz–fayalite–magnetite oxygen buffer, 0.25–24 h) indicate that the resulting disequilibrium melts are linear mixes of the mineral compositions. The rates of melting are slower than the rate of heat-diffusion into a sample and are approximated as: ξ=2.43×10(−26)×e0.004109×T(degC) (m/s1/2) for augite melted with plagioclase; ξ=3.47×10(−15)×e0.002041×T(degC)for plagioclase melted with augite; and ξ=1.79×10(−21)×e0.0032×T(degC) for plagioclase melted with olivine. Our results indicate that great care must be taken in backward models using basalt chemistry alone to explore mantle-melting processes, assuming only crystallization and fractionation during ascent, as partial melts may mix with intruded hot magma.

Description: Diversity within distinct trophic groups is proposed to increase ecosystem functions such as the productivity of this group and the efficiency of resource use. This proposition has mainly been tested with plant communities, consumer assemblages, and multitrophic microbial assemblages. Very few studies tested how this diversity-productivity relationship varies under different environmental regimes such as disturbances. Coastal benthic assemblages are strongly affected by temporal instability of abiotic conditions. Therefore, we manipulated benthic ciliate species richness in three laboratory experiments with three diversity levels each and analyzed biomass production over time in the presence or absence of a single application of a disturbance (ultraviolet-B [UVB] radiation). In two out of three experiments, a clear positive relationship between diversity and productivity was found, and also the remaining experiment showed a small but nonsignificant effect of diversity. Disturbance significantly reduced the total ciliate biomass, but did not alter the relation between species richness and biomass production. Significant overyielding (i.e., higher production at high diversity) was observed, and additive partitioning indicated that this was caused by niche complementarity between ciliate species. Species-specific contribution to the total biomass varied idiosyncratically with species richness, disturbance, and composition of the community. We thus present evidence for a significant effect of consumer diversity on consumer biomass in a coastal ciliate assemblage, which remained consistent at different disturbance regimes.

Description: The abundance and vertical distribution of microcopepods sampled by nets with 55 μm mesh size was compared for two neighbouring but hydrographically different areas, the Gulf of Aqaba and the northernmost Red Sea, during spring 1999. The vertical structure of the total microcopepod communities differed considerably between the two regimes: In the stratified waters of the Red Sea, calanoids outnumbered oncaeids as well as oithonids at 0–100 m, whereas oncaeids dominated in all meso- and bathypelagic layers below 100 m deep. In the unusually deep vertically mixed waters of the Gulf of Aqaba, calanoids outnumbered each of the non-calanoid taxa as deep as 250 or 350 m, whereas the oncaeid dominated deep water community was restricted to depth ranges below 400 m. Dominant non-calanoid species in both areas were Oncaea bispinosa, Paroithona pacifica, Oithona simplex, Spinoncaea ivlevi, O. tregoubovi and O. cristata. O. scottodicarloi occurred in exceptionally high numbers in the northern Gulf. Pronounced differences between the two areas were found in the vertical distribution of poecilostomatoid species. By comparing the present results with published data from the central and southern Red Sea and other tropical and warm-temperate oceanic areas, intra- and inter-oceanic differences in the structure of microcopepod communities in oligotrophic areas are discussed. The high abundance and vertically extended range of calanoid copepods during spring appears to be a specific feature of the Gulf of Aqaba, indicating an unusual vertical succession in the trophodynamic structure of the copepod fauna in this area.

Description: The bacterial and archaeal communities of three deep-sea hydrothermal vent systems located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR; Rainbow, Logatchev and Broken Spur) were investigated using an integrated culture-dependent and independent approach. Comparative molecular phylogenetic analyses, using the 16S rRNA gene and the deduced amino acid sequences of the alpha and beta subunits of the ATP citrate lyase encoding genes were carried out on natural microbial communities, on an enrichment culture obtained from the Broken Spur chimney, and on novel chemolithoautotrophic bacteria and reference strains originally isolated from several different deep-sea vents. Our data showed that the three MAR hydrothermal vent chimneys investigated in this study host very different microbial assemblages. The microbial community of the Rainbow chimney was dominated by thermophilic, autotrophic, hydrogen-oxidizing, sulfur- and nitrate-reducing Epsilonproteobacteria related to the genus Caminibacter. The detection of sequences related to sulfur-reducing bacteria and archaea (Archaeoglobus) indicated that thermophilic sulfate reduction might also be occurring at this site. The Logatchev bacterial community included several sequences related to mesophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, while the archaeal component of this chimney was dominated by sequences related to the ANME-2 lineage, suggesting that anaerobic oxidation of methane may be occurring at this site. Comparative analyses of the ATP citrate lyase encoding genes from natural microbial communities suggested that Epsilonproteobacteria were the dominant primary producers using the reverse TCA cycle (rTCA) at Rainbow, while Aquificales of the genera Desulfurobacterium and Persephonella were prevalent in the Broken Spur chimney

Description: Cephalopods are highly sensitive to environmental conditions and changes at a range of spatial and temporal scales. Relationships documented between cephalopod stock dynamics and environmental conditions are of two main types: those concerning the geographic distribution of abundance, for which the mechanism is often unknown, and those relating to biological processes such as egg survival, growth, recruitment and migration, where mechanisms are sometimes known and in a very few cases demonstrated by experimental evidence. Cephalopods seem to respond to environmental variation both ‘actively’ (e.g. migrating to areas with more favoured environmental conditions for feeding or spawning) and ‘passively’ (growth and survival vary according to conditions experienced, passive migration with prevailing currents). Environmental effects on early life stages can affect life history characteristics (growth and maturation rates) as well as distribution and abundance. Both large-scale atmospheric and oceanic processes and local environmental variation appear to play important roles in species–environment interactions. While oceanographic conditions are of particular significance for mobile pelagic species such as the ommastrephid squids, the less widely ranging demersal and benthic species may be more dependent on other physical habitat characteristics (e.g. substrate and bathymetry). Coastal species may be impacted by variations in water quality and salinity (related to rainfall and river flow). Gaps in current knowledge and future research priorities are discussed. Key research goals include linking distribution and abundance to environmental effects on biological processes, and using such knowledge to provide environmental indicators and to underpin fishery management.

Description: In spring 2004 and 2005 we performed two sets of experiments with Baltic sprat (Sprattus sprattus balticus Schneider) eggs and larvae from the Bornholm Basin simulating ten different temperature scenarios. The goal of the present study was to analyse and parameterise temperature effects on the duration of developmental stages, on the timing of important ontogenetic transitions, growth during the yolk sac phase as well as on the survival success of eggs and early larval stages. Egg development and hatching showed exponential temperature dependence. No hatching was observed above 14.7°C and hatching success was significantly reduced below 3.4°C. Time to eye pigmentation, as a proxy for mouth gape opening, decreased with increasing temperatures from 17 days post hatch at 3.4°C to 7 days at 13°C whereas the larval yolk sac phase was shortened from 20 to 10 days at 3.8 and 10°C respectively. Maximum survival duration of non-fed larvae was 25 days at 6.8°C. Comparing the experimental results of Baltic sprat with existing information on sprat from the English Channel and North Sea differences were detected in egg development rate, thermal adaptation and in yolk sac depletion rate (YSDR). Sprat eggs from the English Channel showed significantly faster development and the potential to develop at temperatures higher than 14.7°C. North Sea sprat larvae were found to have a lower YSDR compared to larvae from the Baltic Sea. In light of the predictions for global warming, Baltic sprat stocks could experience improved conditions for egg development and survival

Description: The Agulhas system all the interface between the Indian and Atlantic Ocean is an important region in the global oceanic circulation with a recognized key role in global climate and climate change. The simulation of the Agulhas system was performed by a high-resolution regional model nested in a global coarse-resolution ocean model. It is shown that this model simulates all characteristics of the Agulhas regime in a highly realistic manner. Due to the two-way coupling of both models the importance of the Agulhas leakage on the large-scale thermohaline circulation was demonstrated.

Description: There are some active bottom currents on the northern continental slope of the South China Sea (SCS). Reflection seismic profiles show that the bottom current channels occur in the water depth range of 1000 to 2700 m, extending from the NE to the SW, leading to accumulation of discontinuous drifts with higher sedimentation rates on the eastern side of the channel. The stacking pattern of the layers suggests that these drifts propagated southwestward, following the direction of the bottom currents. One sedimentary drift to the southeast of the Dongsha Islands has the highest sedimentation rate of 97cm/ka in the last 12 ka. The sedimentary characteristics of the sediment layers indicate that these bottom currents are most likley caused by the water movement of a branch of the West Pacific Ocean Current, which enters the northern SCS via the Bashi Strait. Once formed, the bottom currents transport sediments along the northern slope of SCS southwestward and finally disappear into the central basin of the SCS. Due to the bottom current activity, the deep-sea sedimentary process in the northern SCS is complex.

Description: Cold-water coral carbonate mounds, owing their presence mainly to the framework building coral Lophelia pertusa and the activity of associated organisms, are common along the European margin with their spatial distribution allowing them to be divided into a number of mound provinces. Variation in mound attributes are explored via a series of case studies on mound provinces that have been the most intensely investigated: Belgica, Hovland, Pelagia, Logachev and Norwegian Mounds. Morphological variation between mound provinces is discussed under the premise that mound morphology is an expression of the environmental conditions under which mounds are initiated and grow. Cold-water coral carbonate mounds can be divided into those exhibiting “inherited” morphologies (where mound morphology reflects the morphology of the colonised features) and “developed” morphology (where the mounds assume their own gross morphology mainly reflecting dominant hydrodynamic controls). Finer-scale, surface morphological features mainly reflecting biological growth forms are also discussed.

Description: Sponges of warm- and temperate- but also cold-waters are known to synthesize structurally diverse primary and secondary metabolites. These compounds fulfill a variety of functions including adaptations of the cell membranes to environmental conditions. We show here that boreal sponges of the order Halichondrida are rich sources of brominated lipid fatty acids. The comparison of lipid compositions of halichondrid Demospongiae from boreal and warmer waters indicates an accumulation of brominated fatty acids in sponges from colder settings. Moreover, the spatial distribution of brominated fatty acids in the sponge tissue of one widely distributed sponge of the North-East Atlantic (Phakellia ventilabrum) hints to a function related to membrane fluidity and permeability rather than to defense against predation. However, brominated fatty acids are diagnostic for the presence of bromoperoxidases in sponges and may therefore be potentially useful as markers in a chemical screening for secondary metabolites of pharmacological interest.

Description: Two new compounds, 2, 3, 5-trimethyl-6-(3-oxobutan-2-yl)-4H-pyran-4-one (1) and (2R)-2, 3-dihydro-7-hydroxy-6, 8-dimethyl-2-[(E)-prop-1-enyl] chromen-4-one (2), together with six known compounds (3–8), were isolated from a deep-sea fungus, identified as Aspergillus sydowi, by a bioassay-guided method. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and the cytotoxicities were evaluated by SRB method.

Description: Species of the genus Hysterothylacium are among the most common marine nematode fish parasites in the northern Atlantic. Due to recent findings of cryptic speciation in other parasitic ascaridoid nematodes, a similar pattern of sibling species was hypothesized also for Hysterothylacium aduncum. By investigating a 886- to 890-bp-long genomic DNA fragment including ITS-1, 5.8S rDNA and ITS-2 of 40 specimens of H. aduncum of sprat (Sprattus sprattus) of four different biogeographical regions (North Sea, English Channel, Bay of Biscay, Adriatic Sea), we could not detect significant genetic variability and therefore cryptic speciation. Nevertheless, while ITS-1 and 5.8S rDNA sequences were identical for all analysed specimens, ITS-2 sequences showed a population-specific pattern with the differentiation of an English Channel/Bay of Biscay group from a North Sea/Mediterranean Sea group.

Description: A stable and specific bacterial community was shown to be associated with the Mediterranean sponge Chondrilla nucula. The associated bacterial communities were demonstrated to be highly similar for all studied specimens regardless of sampling time and geographical region. In addition, analysis of 16S rDNA clone libraries revealed three constantly C. nucula-associated bacterial phylotypes belonging to the Acidobacteria, the Gamma- and Deltaproteobacteria present in sponge specimens from two Mediterranean regions with distinct water masses (Ligurian Sea and Adriatic Sea). For the first time, candidate division TM7 bacteria were found in marine sponges. A major part (79%) of the C. nucula-derived 16S rDNA sequences were closely related to other sponge-associated bacteria. Phylogenetic analysis identified 14 16S rRNA gene sequence clusters, seven of which consisted of exclusively sponge-derived sequences, whereas the other seven clusters contained additional environmental sequences. This study adds to a growing database on the stability and variability of microbial consortia associated with marine sponges.

Description: Mombacho is a deeply dissected volcano belonging to the Quaternary volcanic chain of Nicaragua. The southern, historic collapse crater (El Crater) currently hosts a fumarolic field with a maximum temperature of 121°C. Chemical and isotopic data from five gas-sampling field campaigns carried out in 2002, 2003 and 2005 highlight the presence of high-temperature gas components (e.g. SO2, HCl and HF), which indicate a significant contribution of juvenile magmatic fluids to the hydrothermal system feeding the gas discharges. This is strongly supported by the mantle-derived helium and carbon isotopic signatures, although the latter is partly masked by either a sedimentary subduction-related or a shallow carbonate component. The observed chemical and isotopic composition of the Mombacho fluids seems to indicate that this volcanic system, although it has not experienced eruptive events during the last centuries, can be considered active and possibly dangerous, in agreement with the geophysical data recorded in the region. Systematic geochemical monitoring of the fumarolic gas discharges, coupled with a seismic and ground deformation network, is highly recommended in order to monitor a possible new eruptive phase.

Description: We investigated the effect of commercially available enzymes (α-amylase, α-galactosidase, papain, trypsin, and lipase) as well as proteases from deep-sea bacteria on the larval attachment of the bryozoan Bugula neritina L. The 50% effective concentrations (EC50) of the commercial proteases were 10 times lower than those of other enzymes. Crude proteases from six deep-sea Pseudoalteromonas species significantly decreased larval attachment at concentrations of 0.03 to 1 mIU ml−1. The EC50 of the pure protease from the bacterium Pseudoalteromonas issachenkonii UST041101-043 was close to 1 ng ml−1 (0.1 mIU ml−1). The protease and trypsin individually incorporated in a water-soluble paint matrix inhibited biofouling in a field experiment. There are certain correlations between production of proteases by bacterial films and inhibition of larval attachment. None of the bacteria with biofilms that induced attachment of B. neritina produced proteolytic enzymes, whereas most of the bacteria that formed inhibitive biofilms produced proteases. Our investigation demonstrated the potential use of proteolytic enzymes for antifouling defense.

Description: We have applied the novel analytical method NanoSIMS to cephalopod statoliths for the first time in order to analyse their chemical microstructure, using a spatial resolution of 400 nm. This technique makes it possible to analyse in situ nano-scale chemical variations between increment layers. In statoliths of the boreoatlantic armhook squid Gonatus fabricii, we found distinct concentration patterns indicating a periodicity in strontium and sodium distributions. Sr and Na show a negative relation, both elements showing alternating patterns where the increments vary in width between approximately 1 and 5 μm. Results suggest, that aragonite deposited during the night is rich in Na and poor in Sr, while aragonite deposited during the day is rich in Sr and poor in Na. This study demonstrates the excellent suitability of NanoSIMS for nano-scale microchemical analyses of aragonite, providing new information on calcification processes and individual life histories. Possible future fields of application include not only cephalopod statoliths, but also virtually all biomineralized tissues in aquatic organisms like fish otoliths, gastropod statoliths, bivalve shells, foraminifers and corals.

Description: An indoor mesocosm system was set up to study the response of phytoplankton and zooplankton spring succession to winter and spring warming of sea surface temperatures. The experimental temperature regimes consisted of the decadal average of the Kiel Bight, Baltic Sea, and three elevated regimes with 2°C, 4°C, and 6°C temperature difference from that at baseline. While the peak of the phytoplankton spring bloom was accelerated only weakly by increasing temperatures (1.4 days per degree Celsius), the subsequent biomass minimum of phytoplankton was accelerated more strongly (4.25 days per degree Celsius). Phytoplankton size structure showed a pronounced response to warming, with large phytoplankton being more dominant in the cooler mesocosms. The first seasonal ciliate peak was accelerated by 2.1 days per degree Celsius and the second one by 2.0 days per degree Celsius. The over-wintering copepod populations declined faster in the warmer mesocosm, and the appearance of nauplii was strongly accelerated by temperature (9.2 days per degree Celsius). The strong difference between the acceleration of the phytoplankton peak and the acceleration of the nauplii could be one of the “Achilles heels” of pelagic systems subject to climate change, because nauplii are the most starvation-sensitive life cycle stage of copepods and the most important food item of first-feeding fish larvae.

Description: Stable isotope signatures of primary producers display high inter- and intraspecific variation. This is assigned to species-specific differences in isotope fractionation and variable abiotic conditions, e.g., temperature, and nutrient and light availability. As consumers reflect the isotopic signature of their food source, such variations have direct impacts on the ecological interpretation of stable isotope data. To elucidate the variability of isotope fractionation at the primary producer level and the transfer of the signal through food webs, we used a standardised marine tri-trophic system in which the primary producers were manipulated while the two consumer levels were kept constant. These manipulations were (1) different algal species grown under identical conditions to address interspecific variability and (2) a single algal species cultivated under different nutrient regimes to address nutrient-dependent variability. Our experiments resulted in strong interspecific variation between different algal species (Thalassiosira weissflogii, Dunaliella salina, and Rhodomonas salina) and nutrient-dependent shifts in stable isotope signatures in response to nutrient limitation of R. salina. The trophic enrichment in 15N and 13C of primary and secondary consumers (nauplii of Acartia tonsa and larval herring) showed strong deviations from the postulated degree of 1.0‰ enrichment in δ13C and 3.4‰ enrichment in δ15N. Surprisingly, nauplii of A. tonsa tended to keep “isotopic homeostasis” in terms of δ15N, a pattern not described in the literature so far. Our results suggest that the diets’ nutritional composition and food quality as well as the stoichiometric needs of consumers significantly affect the degree of trophic enrichment and that these mechanisms must be considered in ecological studies, especially when lower trophic levels, where variability is highest, are concerned.

Description: Comparison of five deep-water coral (DWC)/mound ecosystems along the European Continental Margin shows that suspended particulate organic matter (sPOM), a potential food source, is lipid rich and of high quality. However, there are differences between the sites. The Darwin and Pelagia Mounds (N. Rockall Trough and N. Porcupine Bank, respectively) have higher proportions of labile particulate lipids (including high proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids) in the benthic boundary layer than Logachev, Hovland and Belgica Mounds (Rockall Bank, S. Porcupine Bank and Porcupine Seabight, respectively). The high quality sPOM could be transported downslope from the euphotic zone. There is some evidence for inter-annual variability at some sites (e.g. Hovland and Logachev Mounds) as large differences in suspended lipid and particulate organic carbon concentrations were observed over the sampling period. Elevated total organic carbon contents of sediments at mound sites, relative to control sites in some cases (particularly Darwin Mounds), probably reflect local hydrodynamic control and the trapping of sPOM by the DWC. Fresh POM can be relatively rapidly transferred to significant depth (up to 8 cm) through bioturbation that is evident at all sites. There is no clear evidence of present day hydrocarbon seepage at any of the sites.

Description: In spite of the fundamental role the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays for global climate stability, no direct current measurement of the Denmark Strait Overflow, which is the densest part of the AMOC, has been available until recently that resolve the cross-stream structure at the sill for long periods. Since 1999, an array of bottom-mounted acoustic instruments measuring current velocity and bottom-to-surface acoustic travel times was deployed at the sill. Here, the optimization of the array configuration based on a numerical overflow model is discussed. The simulation proves that more than 80% of the dense water transport variability is captured by two to three acoustic current profilers (ADCPs). The results are compared with time series from ADCPs and Inverted Echo Sounders deployed from 1999 to 2003, confirming that the dense overflow plume can be reliably measured by bottom-mounted instruments and that the overflow is largely geostrophically balanced at the sill.

Description: The experiment IGLOS (Investigation of the Greenland Boundary Layer Over Summit) was conducted in June and July 2002 in the central plateau of the Greenland inland ice. The German research aircraft Polar2, equipped with the turbulence measurement system Meteopod, was used to investigate turbulence and radiation flux profiles near research station “Summit Camp”. Aircraft measurements are combined with measurements of radiation fluxes and turbulent quantities made from a 50 m tower at Summit Camp operated by Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich. During all six flight missions, well-developed stable boundary layers were found. Even in high-wind conditions, the surface inversion thickness did not exceed roughly 100 m. The turbulent height of the stable boundary layer (SBL) was found to be much smaller than the surface inversion thickness. Above the surface layer, significant turbulent fluxes occurred only intermittently in intervals on the order of a few kilometres. Turbulent event fraction in the upper SBL shows the same dependence on gradient Richardson number as reported for near-surface measurements. Clear-air longwave radiation divergence was always found to contribute significantly to the SBL heat budget. In low-wind cases, radiative cooling even turned out to be dominant.

Description: Methanogenic archaea from Siberian permafrost complementary to the already well-studied methanogens from non-permafrost habitats were exposed to simulated Martian conditions. After 22 days of exposure to thermo-physical conditions at Martian low- and mid-latitudes up to 90% of methanogenic archaea from Siberian permafrost survived in pure cultures as well as in environmental samples. In contrast, only 0.3%–5.8% of reference organisms from non-permafrost habitats survived at these conditions. This suggests that methanogens from terrestrial permafrost seem to be remarkably resistant to Martian conditions. Our data also suggest that in scenario of subsurface lithoautotrophic life on Mars, methanogenic archaea from Siberian permafrost could be used as appropriate candidates for the microbial life on Mars.

Description: In nature, multiple-species rather than single-species microbial associations with plant or animal (including human) hosts are the rule more than the exception. Prominent examples are the microbial consortia of vertebrate intestines and cattle rumen. As many demosponges are associated with enormous amounts of microorganisms, contributing up to 40-60% of the sponge biomass, they are excellent models for marine multi-species, microbe-host associations. Representatives of at least eight different phyla, many of which contain few or no cultivated representatives, have been identified as specific members of the sponge-associated microbiota. Recent studies show that vertical transmission of symbionts through the larval stages rather than horizontal acquisition from seawater appears to be an important mechanism by which the complex and possibly ancient microbial consortia of sponges are formed.

Description: Many sponge species contain large and diverse communities of microorganisms. Some of these microbes are suggested to be in a mutualistic interaction with their host sponges, but there is little evidence to support these hypotheses. Stable nitrogen isotope ratios of sponges in the Key Largo, Florida (USA) area grouped sponges into species with relatively low δ15N ratios and species with relatively high δ15N ratios. Using samples collected in June 2002 from Three Sisters Reef and Conch Reef in the Key Largo, Florida area, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis were performed on tissues of the sponges Ircinia felix and Aplysina cauliformis, which are in the low δ15N group, and on tissue of the sponge Niphates erecta, which is in the high δ15N group. Results showed that I. felix and A. cauliformis have large and diverse microbial communities, while N. erecta has a low biomass of one bacterial strain. As the low δ15N ratios indicated a microbial input of nitrogen, these results suggested that I. felix and A. cauliformis were receiving nitrogen from their associated microbial community, while N. erecta was obtaining nitrogen solely from external sources. Sequence analysis of the microbial communities showed a diversity of metabolic capabilities among the microbes of the low δ15N group, which are lacking in the high δ15N group, further supporting metabolic differences between the two groups. This research provides support for hypotheses of mutualisms between sponges and their associated microbial communities.

Description: The skeleton morphology of the azooxanthellate cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa can be strongly influenced by invasive boring sponges that infest corallites in the still living part of the colony. Atypically swollen corallites of live Lophelia pertusa from the Galway Mound (Belgica Carbonate Mound Province, Porcupine Seabight, NE Atlantic), heavily excavated by boring organisms, have been examined with a wide range of non-destructive and destructive methods: micro-computed tomography, macro- and microscopic observations of the outer coral skeleton, longitudinal and transversal thin sections and SEM analyses of coral skeleton casts. As a result, three excavating sponge species have been distinguished within the coral skeleton: Alectona millari, Spiroxya heteroclita and Aka infesta. Furthermore, four main coral/sponge growth stages have been recognised: (1) cylindrical juvenile corallite/no sponge cavities; (2) flared juvenile corallite/linear sponge cavities (if present); (3) slightly swollen adult corallites/chambered oval sponge cavities; (4) very swollen adult corallites/widespread cavities. The inferred correlation between corallite morphology and boring sponge infestation has been detected in micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) images and confirmed in sponge trace casts and peculiar features of coral skeleton microstructure.

Description: Cold-water coral carbonate mounds, owing their presence mainly to the framework building coral Lophelia pertusa and the activity of associated organisms, are common along the European margin with their spatial distribution allowing them to be divided into a number of mound provinces. Variation in mound attributes are explored via a series of case studies on mound provinces that have been the most intensely investigated: Belgica, Hovland, Pelagia, Logachev and Norwegian Mounds. Morphological variation between mound provinces is discussed under the premise that mound morphology is an expression of the environmental conditions under which mounds are initiated and grow. Cold-water coral carbonate mounds can be divided into those exhibiting “inherited” morphologies (where mound morphology reflects the morphology of the colonised features) and “developed” morphology (where the mounds assume their own gross morphology mainly reflecting dominant hydrodynamic controls). Finer-scale, surface morphological features mainly reflecting biological growth forms are also discussed.

Description: Sponges (Porifera) are filter feeders that take up microorganisms from seawater and digest them by phagocytosis. At the same time, many sponges are known to harbor massive consortia of symbiotic microorganisms, which are phylogenetically distinct from those in seawater, within the mesohyl matrix. In the present study, feeding experiments were performed to investigate whether phylogenetically different bacterial isolates, hereafter termed “food bacteria,” microbial seawater consortia, and sponge symbiont consortia are taken up and processed differently by the host sponge. Aplysina aerophoba retained high numbers of bacterial isolates and microbial seawater consortia with rates of up to 2.76 × 106 bacteria (g sponge wet weight)–1 h–1, whereas the retention of sponge symbionts was lower by nearly two orders of magnitude [5.37 × 104 bacteria (g sponge wet weight)−1 h–1]. In order to visualize the processing of a food bacterium within sponge tissues, the green fluorescent protein-labeled Vibrio strain MMW1, which had originally been isolated from A. aerophoba, was constructed. Incubation of this strain with A. aerophoba and subsequent visualization in tissue cryosections showed its presence in the choanocytes and/or endopinacocytes lining the canals but, unlike latex beads, not in deeper regions of the mesohyl, which suggests digestion of the bacteria upon contact with the host. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was performed on the incubation seawater to monitor the changes in phylogenetic composition after incubation of the sponge with either seawater or sponge symbiont consortia. However, the DGGE experiment provided no evidence for selective processing of individual lineages by the host sponge. In conclusion, this study extends early studies by Wilkinson et al. (Proc R Soc London B 220:519–528, 1984) that sponges, here A. aerophoba, are able to differentiate between food bacteria and their own bacterial symbionts.

Description: The Caribbean sponge, Plakortis simplex, is known to contain a large array of secondary metabolites, including the antimalarial polyketide plakortin, several unusual glycolipids, and some hopanoids, which closely resemble typical bacterial metabolites. The hypothesis that they could be products of bacterial metabolism was tested by localizing specific metabolites in cells using physical separation of sponge cells, bacterial symbionts and supernatant by differential centrifugation. The obtained fractions were analysed separately for the typical P. simplex metabolites by NMR and mass spectrometry, and most of them were shown to be present in the bacterial cells but not in the sponge cells. In addition, PCR screening showed that the biosynthetic pathway for glycosphingolipids was present in the bacterial cells. Isolation of a Sphingomonas strain PS193 from P. simplex and subsequent glycosphingolipid analysis resulted in the detection of a known glycosphingolipid, GSL-1, that did, however, not match the glycosphingolipid profile of P. simplex. Therefore, it is unlikely that Sphingomonas strain PS193 is an abundant member of the microbial community associated with P. simplex. Other glycosphingolipid producing bacteria in P. simplex remain to be identified. In conclusion, this study provides experimental evidence that the glycolipids and hopanoids and possibly also the polyketide plakortin are produced by microbial symbionts rather than the sponge from which the metabolites were originally isolated.

Description: Two single-channel seismic (SCS) data sets collected in 2000 and 2005 were used for a four-dimensional (4D) time-lapse analysis of an active cold vent (Bullseye Vent). The data set acquired in 2000 serves as a reference in the applied processing sequence. The 4D processing sequence utilizes time- and phase-matching, gain adjustments and shaping filters to transform the 2005 data set so that it is most comparable to the conditions under which the 2000 data were acquired. The cold vent is characterized by seismic blanking, which is a result of the presence of gas hydrate in the subsurface either within coarser-grained turbidite sands or in fractures, as well as free gas trapped in these fracture systems. The area of blanking was defined using the seismic attributes instantaneous amplitude and similarity. Several areas were identified where blanking was reduced in 2005 relative to 2000. But most of the centre of Bullseye Vent and the area around it were seen to be characterized by intensified blanking in 2005. Tracing these areas of intensified blanking through the three-dimensional (3D) seismic volume defined several apparent new flow pathways that were not seen in the 2000 data, which are interpreted as newly generated fractures/faults for upward fluid migration. Intensified blanking is interpreted as a result of new formation of gas hydrate in the subsurface along new fracture pathways. Areas with reduced blanking may be zones where formerly plugged fractures that had trapped some free gas may have been opened and free gas was liberated.

Description: The related red seaweeds Gracilaria sp. from the eastern Mediterranean and Gracilaria chilensis from Chile were similar in their enzymatic inventory for halogenation. In both species, halogenation was dependent upon H(2)O(2) and thus driven by haloperoxidases. These could be inhibited with phosphate and reversibly inhibited with azide and were therefore apparently dependent upon vanadate. Both species generated in the first line bromoform and other brominated halocarbons. Gel electrophoresis under non-denaturating conditions demonstrated that both species expressed halogenating peroxidases. Elicitation of Gracilaria sp. with agar oligosaccharides resulted in marked increases in bromination, iodination, and chlorination. Production rates of volatile halocarbons and phenol red bromination both increased by a factor of eight, presumably due to increased availability for haloperoxidases of H(2)O(2) during the oxidative burst response. Elicitation of Gracilaria sp. also triggered a release of bromide ions through DIDS-sensitive anion channels, which allowed for some bromination in bromide-free medium. However, this effect was relatively limited. By contrast, agar oligosaccharide oxidation in G. chilensis did not increase halogenation. Obviously, agar oligosaccharide oxidation does not provide sufficient amounts of hypohalous acids for such increases, because it does not deliver H(2)O(2) at the active site of vanadium-dependent haloperoxidases. These results correlate with earlier findings that the agar oligosaccharide-elicited oxidative burst controls microorganisms while agar oligosaccharide oxidation does not.

Description: In this paper it is suggested that a stochastic isotropic diffusive process, representing a spatial first order auto regressive process (AR(1)-process), can be used as a null hypothesis for the spatial structure of climate variability. By comparing the leading empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) of a fitted null hypothesis with EOF modes of an observed data set, inferences about the nature of the observed modes can be made. The concept and procedure of fitting the null hypothesis to the observed EOFs is in analogy to time analysis, where an AR(1)-process is fitted to the statistics of the time series in order to evaluate the nature of the time scale behavior of the time series. The formulation of a stochastic null hypothesis allows one to define teleconnection patterns as those modes that are most distinguished from the stochastic null hypothesis. The method is applied to several artificial and real data sets including the sea surface temperature of the tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean and the Northern Hemisphere wintertime and tropical sea level pressure.

Description: Cephalopod beaks retrieved from stomachs of dead emperor penguin chicks at Pointe Géologie, Terre Adélie, provide information on taxonomic and size composition of the penguin’s squid diet, on the trophic range of the squid species preyed upon and on the fractional trophic impact of the penguin on the whole food web. Emperor penguins prey upon four squid species (Psychroteuthis glacialis, Kondakovia longimana, Gonatus antarcticus, Alluroteuthis antarcticus) and do not take squid larger than 480 mm mantle length. Larger squid live either below the penguin’s diving range or are beyond its handling capacity. Nitrogen stable isotope ratios indicate that squids cover a range of about two trophic levels (2.5–8‰ δ15N). The impact of the emperor penguin, however, concentrates on the upper part of this range, about 68% of its squid prey being 〉6‰ δ15N. The principal components of the emperor’s diet, fish, krill and squid, differ distinctly in average trophic level. Consequently the trophic position of the emperor penguin changes accordingly with diet composition and may differ by almost one trophic level between different emperor penguin colonies.

Description: On- and off-mound sediment cores from Propeller Mound (Hovland Mound province, Porcupine Seabight) were analysed to understand better the evolution of a carbonate mound. The evaluation of benthic foraminiferal assemblages from the off-mound position helps to determine the changes of the environmental controls on Propeller Mound in glacial and interglacial times. Two different assemblages describe the Holocene and Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 and late MIS 3 (∼31 kyr BP). The different assemblages are related to changes in oceanographic conditions, surface productivity and the waxing and waning of the British Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) during the last glacial stages. The interglacial assemblage is related to a higher supply of organic material and stronger current intensities in water depth of recent coral growth. During the last glaciation the benthic faunas showed high abundances of cassidulinid species, implying cold bottom waters and a reduced availability of organic matter. High sedimentation rates and the domination of Elphidium excavatum point to shelf erosion related to sea-level lowering (∼50 m) and the progradation of the BIIS onto the shelf. A different assemblage described for the on-mound core is dominated by Discanomalina coronata, Gavelinopsis translucens, Planulina ariminensis, Cibicides lobatulus and to a lower degree by Hyrrokkin sarcophaga. These species are only found or show significantly higher relative abundances in on-mound samples and their maximum contribution in the lower part of the record indicates a higher coral growth density on Propeller Mound in an earlier period. They are less abundant during the Holocene, however. This dataset portrays the boundary conditions of the habitable range for the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa, which dominates the deep-water reefal ecosystem on the upper flanks of Propeller Mound. The growth of this ecosystem occurs during interglacial and interstadial periods, whereas a retreat of corals is documented in the absence of glacial sediments on-mound. Glacial conditions with cold intermediate waters, a weak current regime and high sedimentation rates provide an unfavourable environmental setting for Lophelia corals to grow. A Late Pleistocene decrease is observed in the mound growth for Propeller Mound, which might face its complete burial in the future, as it already happened to the buried mounds of the Magellan Mound province further north.

Description: Quorum sensing (QS) signals have been considered to play important roles in biofilm development and in the attractiveness of biofilms to higher organisms in marine ecosystem. In this study, bacterial QS signalsacylated homoserine lactone derivatives (AHLs) were detected in 2-, 4-, and 6-day-old subtidal biofilms by using AHLs reporter strains. N-dodecanoyl-homoserine lactone (C12-HSL) was identified in 6-day-old biofilm at a concentration of 9.04 μg cm−minus;2 (3.36 mmol l−minus;1). To investigate the possible role of AHLs in the consequent eventlarval settlement of the polychaete Hydroides elegans onto subtidal biofilmsseven biofilm-derived bacteria that effectively induced larval settlement of H. elegans, were screened for AHL production. One of them, the Vibrio sp. UST950701-007, produced N-hexanoyl-homoserine lactone (C6-HSL). Larval settlement bioassay showed that C6-HSL, C12-HSL, and 3-oxo-octanoyl-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C8-HLS) at certain concentrations induced some initial larval settlement behaviors such as reducing swimming speed, crawling on the bottom. However, these AHLs did not effectively induce larval settlement in comparison to the effective settlement inducer 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. The possible chemokinetic mechanism and indirect effects of AHLs on larval settlement are suggested.

Description: Because of its chemical and radiative properties, atmospheric ozone constitutes a key element of the Earth's climate system. Absorption of sunlight by ozone in the ultraviolet wavelength range is responsible for stratospheric heating, and determines the temperature structure of the middle atmosphere. Changes in middle atmospheric ozone concentrations result in an altered radiative input to the troposphere and to the Earth's surface, with implications on the energy balance and the chemical composition of the lower atmosphere. Although a wide range of ground- and satellite-based measurements of its integrated content and of its vertical distribution have been performed since several decades, a number of uncertainties still remain as to the response of middle atmospheric ozone to changes in solar irradiance over decadal time scales. This paper presents an overview of achieved findings, including a discussion of commonly applied data analysis methods and of their implication for the obtained results. We suggest that because it does not imply least-squares fitting of prescribed periodic or proxy data functions into the considered times series, time-domain analysis provides a more reliable method than multiple regression analysis for extracting decadal-scale signals from observational ozone datasets. Applied to decadal ground-based observations, time-domain analysis indicates an average middle atmospheric ozone increase of the order of 2% from solar minimum to solar maximum, which is in reasonable agreement with model results.

Description: This study aimed at simulating different degrees of winter warming and at assessing its potential effects on ciliate succession and grazing-related patterns. By using indoor mesocosms filled with unfiltered water from Kiel Bight, natural light and four different temperature regimes, phytoplankton spring blooms were induced and the thermal responses of ciliates were quantified. Two distinct ciliate assemblages, a pre-spring and a spring bloom assemblage, could be detected, while their formation was strongly temperature-dependent. Both assemblages were dominated by Strobilidiids; the pre-spring bloom phase was dominated by the small Strobilidiids Lohmaniella oviformis, and the spring bloom was mainly dominated by large Strobilidiids of the genus Strobilidium. The numerical response of ciliates to increasing food concentrations showed a strong acceleration by temperature. Grazing rates of ciliates and copepods were low during the pre-spring bloom period and high during the bloom ranging from 0.06 (Δ0°C) to 0.23 day−1 (Δ4°C) for ciliates and 0.09 (Δ0°C) to 1.62 day−1 (Δ4°C) for copepods. During the spring bloom ciliates and copepods showed a strong dietary overlap characterized by a wide food spectrum consisting mainly of Chrysochromulina sp., diatom chains and large, single-celled diatoms.

Description: We assessed the temporal changes in and the relationships between the structures of the macroinvertebrate communities and the environmental conditions of the French Rhône River (the river from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean Sea) over the last 20 years (1985–2004). Multisite environmental and biological datasets were analysed using multiple CO-inertia analysis (MCOA) and Procrustean analysis. Changes in environmental conditions were mainly marked by an improvement in water quality between 1985 and 1991 and by an increase in water temperature from 1985 onwards due to climate change. Improvement in water quality seemed to delay changes in community structures under global warming. We then observed trends in community structures coupled with high temperatures and a decrease in oxygen content. Interestingly, we observed both gradual changes and rapid switches in community states. These shifts seemed coupled to extreme hydroclimatic events (i.e. pulse disturbances). Floods and the 2003 heatwave enhanced the development of eurytolerant and invasive taxa which were probably able to take advantage of gradual warming environmental conditions. Despite various site-specific “press” constraints (e.g. hydropower schemes, nuclear power plants), similar changes in community structures were observed along the French Rhône River. Such consistency in temporal processes at large geographical scales underlined the strength of hydroclimatic constraints on community dynamics compared to specific local disturbances. Finally, community structures did not show any sign of recovery, and their relative sensitivities to extreme hydroclimatic events seemed to increase with time. Thus, our results suggest that global changes may reduce the resilience of current community states.

Description: The use of statolith chemistry to trace migration pathways and distinguish populations of cephalopods is based on the assumption that the elemental composition of statoliths is influenced by physicochemical properties of the ambient environment. However, such influences have not been investigated experimentally up until now. This study presents the first microchemical analyses of cephalopod statoliths obtained from laboratory experiments under different controlled temperature and salinity conditions. Our results show that statolith chemical composition is strongly related to both salinity and temperature in ambient waters. The Ba/Ca ratio is negatively related to temperature and shows no relation to salinity. The I/Ca ratio is positively related to temperature and negatively to salinity. No Sr/Ca relation was found to either salinity or temperature, suggesting that the well-established proxy strontium is not as useful in cephalopod statoliths as in other biomineralized aragonites. Microanalysis of trace elements, however, shows an enormous potential for field studies on distribution, migration and stock separation of cephalopods. Furthermore, Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence Analysis is introduced as a promising novel method for statolith analysis, providing a spatial resolution of typically 10–15 μm combined with detection limits down to 0.5 ppm.

Description: The spatial structure of surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies in the extratropical latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (NH) during the 20th century is studied from the data obtained over the period 1892–1999. The expansion of the mean (over the winter and summer periods) SAT anomalies into empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) is used for analysis. It is shown that variations in the mean air temperature in the Arctic region (within the latitudes 60°–90°N) during both the winter and summer periods can be described with a high accuracy by two spatial orthogonal modes of variability. For the winter period, these are the EOF related to the leading mode of variability of large-scale atmospheric circulation in the NH, the North Atlantic Oscillation, and the spatially localized (in the Arctic) EOF, which describes the Arctic warming of the mid-20th century. The expansion coefficient of this EOF does not correlate with the indices of atmospheric circulation and is hypothetically related to variations in the area of the Arctic ice cover that are due to long-period variations in the influx of oceanic heat from the Atlantic. On the whole, a significantly weaker relation to the atmospheric circulation is characteristic of the summer period. The first leading variability mode describes a positive temperature trend of the past decades, which is hypothetically related to global warming, while the second leading EOF describes a long-period oscillation. On the whole, the results of analysis suggest a significant effect of natural climatic variability on air-temperature anomalies in the NH high latitudes and possible difficulties in isolating an anthropogenic component of climate changes.

Description: Ecological forecasts predict the immigration of boreal species into Arctic waters as one consequence of rising sea temperatures. Here, we report the finding of Atlantic snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) off the western coast of Spitsbergen at 79°N in August 2006. This syngnathid fish species, which was presumed to be confined to waters south of Iceland, has dramatically increased in population size in its core distribution area in the northeastern Atlantic since 2002, probably in response to greater reproduction success due to higher water temperatures. We conclude that our finding is an indication of the predicted northward extension of the distribution range of boreal species.

Description: The distribution of platinum group elements (PGEs) in massive sulfides and hematite–magnetite±pyrite assemblages from the recently discovered basalt-hosted Turtle Pits hydrothermal field and in massive sulfides from the ultramafic-hosted Logatchev vent field both on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was studied and compared to that from selected ancient volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits. Cu-rich samples from black smoker chimneys of both vent fields are enriched in Pd and Rh (Pd up to 227 ppb and Rh up to 149 ppb) when compared to hematite–magnetite-rich samples from Turtle Pits (Pd up to 10 ppb, Rh up to 1.9 ppb). A significant positive correlation was established between Cu and Rh in sulfide samples from Turtle Pits. PGE chondrite-normalized patterns (with a positive Rh anomaly and Pd and Au enrichment), Pd/Pt and Pd/Au ratios close to global MORB, and high values of Pd/Ir and Pt/Ir ratios indicate mafic source rock and seawater involvement in the hydrothermal system at Turtle Pits. Similarly shaped PGE chondrite-normalized patterns and high values of Pd/Pt and Pd/Ir ratios in Cu-rich sulfides at Logatchev likely reflect a similar mechanism of PGE enrichment but with involvement of ultramafic source rocks.

Description: A simple and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method with UV detection is developed and validated for the determination of 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin in rat plasma and comparative analysis of its pharmacokinetics after intragastric administration of 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin and three different decoctions of yinchenhao tang. The plasma samples are deproteinated with acetonitrile. The components are separated on a Kromasil C18 column (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 microm,) with methanol-1% acetic acid solution-tetrahydrofuran (30:63:7, v/v/v) as the mobile phase, and the UV detector is set at 340 nm. Coumarin is used as an internal standard. The linear calibration curve is obtained in the concentration range of 25-2500 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantitation of the method is 25 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precision are less than 12%, and the accuracy determined with relative error ranges from -2.9% to 1.7%. The data obtained from rat plasma are analyzed with Topfit 2.0 Pharmacokinetic Software. With pharmacokinetic analysis, the main parameters after intragastric administration of 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin, Herba Artemisiae Scopariae decoction, Artemisiae Scopariae decoction plus Radix et Rhizoma Rhei and Fructus Gardeniae decoction, yinchenhao tang are as follows: T(1/2) is 0.29, 1.30, 1.07, and 1.75 h, AUC(--〉t) is 919.1, 1215.0, 2035.3, and 2537.9 ng-h/mL, AU(0--〉) is 928.5, 1325.9, 2094.4, and 2612.6 ng x h/ mL, respectively.

Description: Seasonal lipid dynamics of various developmental stages were investigated in Pseudocalanus minutus and Oithona similis. For P. minutus, the dominance of 16:1(n−7), 16:4(n−3) and 20:5(n−3) fatty acids indicated a diatom-based nutrition in spring, whereas 22:6(n−3), 16:0, 18:2(n−6) and 18:1(n−9) pointed to a flagellate-based diet during the rest of the year as well as omnivorous/carnivorous low-level feeding during winter. The shorter-chain fatty alcohols 14:0 and 16:0 prevailed, also reflecting biosynthetic processes typical of omnivores or carnivores. Altogether, the lipid signatures characterized P. minutus as an opportunistic feeder. In contrast, O. similis had consistently high amounts of the 18:1(n−9) fatty acid in all stages and during all seasons pointing to a generally omnivorous/carnivorous/detritivorous diet. Furthermore, the fatty alcohol 20:1(n−9) reached high percentages especially in adult females and males, and feeding on Calanus faecal pellets is suggested. Fatty alcohols, as wax ester moieties, revealed significant seasonal variations in O. similis and a seasonal trend towards wax ester accumulation in autumn in P. minutus. P. minutus utilized its lipid deposits for development in the copepodite stages III and IV and for gonad maturation in CV and females during the dark season. However, CVs and females depended on the spring phytoplankton bloom for final maturation processes and reproduction. O. similis fueled gonad maturation and egg production for reproduction in June by wax esters, whereas reproduction in August/September co-occurred with the accumulation of new depot lipids. Both species revealed significantly higher wax ester levels in deeper (〉50 m) as compared to surface (0–50 m) dwelling individuals related to a descent prior to overwintering.

Description: After the discovery of large densities of Mnemiopsis leidyi in the Baltic Sea near Kiel by Javidpour et al. (First record of Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz 1865 in the Baltic Sea, 2006) in October 2006, we investigated the gelatinous zooplankton in the North Sea near Helgoland and recorded Mnemiopsis leidyi for the first time in the North Sea, albeit in much lower densities than those recorded in the Baltic Sea.

Description: A novel selective enrichment method is described for phototrophic green sulfur bacteria even in the presence of purple sulfur and purple nonsulfur bacteria using sulfanilate, which was discovered during efforts to selectively isolate sulfanilate-metabolizing anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria from marine habitats. Samples for these experiments were obtained from beaches, saltpans, subsurface mangrove soils, fish and prawn aquaculture ponds and backwaters of the East and West coasts of India. Photoorganoheterotrophic and photolithoautotrophic enrichments in the absence of sulfanilate predominantly yielded purple bacterial enrichments. In contrast, photolithoautotrophic enrichments in the presence of sulfanilate yielded green-colored enrichments from the same samples. Whole cell absorption spectra of the enrichment cultures revealed the presence of bacteriochlorophyll c and thus green phototrophic bacteria. Microscopic observation demonstrated the presence of sulfur globules outside the bacterial cells and the presence of non-motile cells, some of which had prosthecae. 16S rDNA sequences obtained from green sulfur bacterial strains isolated from enrichment cultures confirmed the presence of representatives of the green sulfur bacterial genera Prosthecochloris and Chlorobaculum. The selective pressure of sulfanilate exerted through inhibition of phototrophic purple sulfur bacteria was demonstrated by inhibition studies using the purple sulfur bacteria Marichromatium indicum JA100 and Marichromatium sp. JA120 (JCM 13533) and the green sulfur bacterium Prosthecochloris sp. JAGS6 (JCM 13299).

Description: In the marine environment, biofilms on submerged surfaces can promote or discourage the settlement of invertebrate larvae and macroalgal spores. The settlement-mediating effects of biofilms are believed to involve a variety of biofilm attributes including surface chemistry, micro-topography, and a wide range of microbial products from small-molecule metabolites to high-molecular weight extracellular polymers. The settled organisms in turn can modify microbial species composition of biofilms and thus change the biofilm properties and dynamics. A better understanding of biofilm dynamics and chemical signals released and/or stored by biofilms will facilitate the development of antifouling and mariculture technologies. This review provides a brief account of 1) existing knowledge of marine biofilms that are relevant to settlement mediation, 2) biotechnological application of biofilms with respect to developing non-toxic antifouling technologies and improving the operation of aquaculture facilities, and 3) challenges and future directions for advancing our understanding of settlement-mediating functions of biofilms and for applying this knowledge to real-life situations.

Description: This is the first in-depth study of a cluster of cold-water coral reefs, the Fugløy Reefs, found at 70°N on the Norwegian margin. Combining high resolution seismic reflection data, side-scan sonar, video-images, and oceanographic measurements reveals the geologic, geomorphologic and oceanographic setting in which the reefs occur. The reefs consist mainly of the scleractinian ahermatypic Lophelia pertusa, and exist below the thermocline at water depths between 140 m and 190 m. The reefs appear as cone-shaped, acoustically transparent features on seismic reflection data, consistently located in places characterized by the availability of hard substrate, high relief, and periodical exposure to high tidal cur-rents (〉30 cm/s). These currents transport water of the Norwegian Atlantic Current to the reefs from an area with fluid expulsion-related pockmarks. The spatial relationship between reef and pockmark locations and current directions suggests that seepage of biogenic gas might be a catalyst to reef growth. With a height of more than 40 m some of the Fugløy reefs are among the highest reported from the Norwegian Margin. This indicates highly fa-vourable growth conditions, and conservative estimates indicate a net growth rate for the reefs of ~5 mm/yr. We expect that cold-water reefs will be found further north along the Barents Sea margin as general awareness on the geophysical signature and appearance of the reefs increases, because all known factors involved in reef establishment and growth are within the required intervals also further north. Introduction

Description: The symmetry or asymmetry of the process of continental breakup has been much debated over the last 20 years, with various authors proposing asymmetric simple shear models, others advocating more symmetric, pure shear models and some combinations of the two. The unroofing of vast expanses of sub-continental mantle at non-volcanic margins has led some authors to argue in favour of simple shear models, but supporting evidence is lacking. Subsidence evidence from conjugate margin pairs is equivocal, and the detailed crustal and lithospheric structure of such pairs not generally well enough known to draw firm conclusions. In the Porcupine Basin, where the final stages of break-up are preserved, the development of structural asymmetry is demonstrable, and apparently related to late stage coupling of the crust to the mantle following the complete embrittlement of the crust. This agrees with theoretical modelling results, which predict that asymmetric models can develop only on a lithospheric scale when the crust and mantle are tightly coupled. However, whether such asymmetry is maintained during continued exhumation of the mantle is unclear.

Description: Specific associations of bacteria with phytoplankton have recently been reported in the literature. In our study, we analyzed bacterial communities of microalgal cultures related to algal growth phases. Seven freshly isolated key diatom and dinoflagellate species from Helgoland Roads, North Sea, were investigated. The community composition of associated bacteria as well as the cell numbers, the photosynthetic efficiency of the algae, and the depletion of inorganic nutrients in the medium were recorded over a period of 8 weeks in batch cultures. Diversity and succession of bacterial communities was analyzed by ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of bacterial populations was performed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of 16S rRNA genes followed by DNA sequence analysis. Members of Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria and the Flavobacteria–Sphingobacteria group within the Bacteroidetes phylum predominated in the cultures. Differences in free-living and attached bacterial populations were observed between the phylogenetic groups. Shifts in the bacterial communities could not be correlated to changes of nutrient levels or algal growth phases. Regarding our results, it should not be generalized that the compositions of the bacterial communities are strictly species specific for microalgae. The importance of factors like the composition of exudates is apparent.

Description: Coastal areas are exposed to a variety of threats due to high population densities and rapid economic development. How will this affect human welfare and our dependence on nature's capacity to provide ecosystem goods and services? This paper is original in evaluating this concern for major habitats (macroalgae, seagrasses, blue mussel beds, and unvegetated soft bottoms) in a temperate coastal setting. More than 40 categories of goods and services are classified into provisional, regulating, and cultural services. A wide variety of Swedish examples is described for each category, including accounts of economic values and the relative importance of different habitats. For example, distinguishing characteristics would be the exceptional importance of blue mussels for mitigation of eutrophication, sandy soft bottoms for recreational uses, and seagrasses and macroalgae for fisheries production and control of wave and current energy. Net changes in the provision of goods and services are evaluated for three cases of observed coastal ecosystem shifts: i) seagrass beds into unvegetated substrate; ii) unvegetated shallow soft bottoms into filamentous algal mat dominance; and iii) macroalgae into mussel beds on hard substrate. The results are discussed in a management context including accounts of biodiversity, interconnectedness of ecosystems, and potential of economic valuation.

Description: Scleractinian corals are increasingly used as recorders of modern and paleoclimates. The microstructure of four common reef-building coral genera is documented here: Acropora, Pocillopora, Goniastrea, and Porites. This study highlights the complexity and spatial variability of skeletal growth in different coral genera and suggests that a single growth model is too generalized to allow the accurate depiction of the variability observed in the four genera studied. New models must be introduced in order for coral skeletogenesis to be understood adequately to allow coral skeletons to serve as repositories of temporally constrained geochemical data. Owing to differences in microstructural patterns in different genera, direct observation of microstructural elements and growth lines may be necessary to allow microsamples to be placed into series that represent temporal sequences with known degrees of time averaging. Such data are critical for constraining microsampling strategies aimed at developing true time series geochemical data at very fine spatial and temporal scales.