ALBERT

Description: Morphological identification of cnidarian species can be difficult throughout all life stages due to the lack of distinct morphological characters. Moreover, in some cnidarian taxa genetic markers are not fully informative, and in these cases combinations of different markers or additional morphological verifications may be required. Proteomic fingerprinting based on MALDI-TOF mass spectra was previously shown to provide reliable species identification in different metazoans including some cnidarian taxa. For the first time, we tested the method across four cnidarian classes (Staurozoa, Scyphozoa, Anthozoa, Hydrozoa) and included different scyphozoan life-history stages (polyp, ephyra, medusa) in our dataset. Our results revealed reliable species identification based on MALDI-TOF mass spectra across all taxa with species-specific clusters for all 23 analysed species. In addition, proteomic fingerprinting was successful for distinguishing developmental stages, still by retaining a species specific signal. Furthermore, we identified the impact of different salinities in different regions (North Sea and Baltic Sea) on proteomic fingerprints to be negligible. In conclusion, the effects of environmental factors and developmental stages on proteomic fingerprints seem to be low in cnidarians. This would allow using reference libraries built up entirely of adult or cultured cnidarian specimens for the identification of their juvenile stages or specimens from different geographic regions in future biodiversity assessment studies.

Description: Sea ice is crucial for breeding in true Antarctic pinnipeds. Although critical to interpret and mitigate the effects of extreme climatic events on polar species, knowledge of the effects of strong sea-ice anomalies on the reproductive activity of true Antarctic pinnipeds is scarce. Underwater vocalizations in these species play a key role in reproduction and function as indicators for presence and breeding onset. Using 8 years of recordings, we quantified the effect of sea-ice concentration and drift on the acoustic presence probability of four pinniped species in their breeding areas. In all four species, acoustic activity timing was constant across years, but decreased when sea-ice cover conditions were 〈10%, suggesting that individuals may fail to anticipate rapid changes in sea-ice cover. In the species’ traditional breeding areas, extreme and regular negative anomalies in early austral-summer sea ice could affect long-term reproductive success. Our findings underscore the urgent need for a better understanding of climate-driven changes in high-fidelity breeding areas to mitigate current and future anthropogenic pressures, and to sustain the integrity and functionality of the Southern Ocean's ecosystems.

Description: Sea ice is crucial for breeding in true Antarctic pinnipeds. Although critical to interpret and mitigate the effects of extreme climatic events on polar species, knowledge of the effects of strong sea-ice anomalies on the reproductive activity of true Antarctic pinnipeds is scarce. Underwater vocalizations in these species play a key role in reproduction and function as indicators for presence and breeding onset. Using 8 years of recordings, we quantified the effect of sea-ice concentration and drift on the acoustic presence probability of four pinniped species in their breeding areas. In all four species, acoustic activity timing was constant across years, but decreased when sea-ice cover conditions were 〈10%, suggesting that individuals may fail to anticipate rapid changes in sea-ice cover. In the species’ traditional breeding areas, extreme and regular negative anomalies in early austral-summer sea ice could affect long-term reproductive success. Our findings underscore the urgent need for a better understanding of climate-driven changes in high-fidelity breeding areas to mitigate current and future anthropogenic pressures, and to sustain the integrity and functionality of the Southern Ocean's ecosystems.

Description: Species identification is pivotal in biodiversity assessments and proteomic fingerprinting by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry has already been shown to reliably identify calanoid copepods to species level. However, MALDI-TOF data may contain more information beyond mere species identification. In this study, we investigated different ontogenetic stages (copepodids C1–C6 females) of three co-occurring Calanus species from the Arctic Fram Strait, which cannot be identified to species level based on morphological characters alone. Differentiation of the three species based on mass spectrometry data was without any error. In addition, a clear stage-specific signal was detected in all species, supported by clustering approaches as well as machine learning using Random Forest. More complex mass spectra in later ontogenetic stages as well as relative intensities of certain mass peaks were found as the main drivers of stage distinction in these species. Through a dilution series, we were able to show that this did not result from the higher amount of biomass that was used in tissue processing of the larger stages. Finally, the data were tested in a simulation for application in a real biodiversity assessment by using Random Forest for stage classification of specimens absent from the training data. This resulted in a successful stage-identification rate of almost 90%, making proteomic fingerprinting a promising tool to investigate polewards shifts of Atlantic Calanus species and, in general, to assess stage compositions in biodiversity assessments of Calanoida, which can be notoriously difficult using conventional identification methods.

Description: We analyse the two-dimensional Nash bargaining solution (NBS) by deploying the standard labour market negotiations model of McDonald and Solow. We show that the two-dimensional bargaining problem can be decomposed into two one-dimensional problems, such that the two solutions together replicate the solution of the two-dimensional problem if the NBS is applied. The axiom of “independence of irrelevant alternatives” is shown to be crucial for this type of decomposability. This result has significant implications for actual negotiations because it allows for the decomposition of a multi-dimensional bargaining problem into one-dimensional problems – and thus helps to facilitate real-world negotiations.

Description: Aim: The distribution of mesoplankton communities has been poorly studied at global scale, especially from in situ instruments. This study aims to (1) describe the global distribution of mesoplankton communities in relation to their environment and (2) as-sess the ability of various environmental- based ocean regionalizations to explain the distribution of these communities. Location: Global ocean, 0–500 m depth. Time Period: 2008–2019. Major Taxa Studied: Twenty-eight groups of large mesoplanktonic and macroplank-tonic organisms, covering Metazoa, Rhizaria and Cyanobacteria. Methods: From a global data set of 2500 vertical profiles making use of the Underwater Vision Profiler 5 (UVP5), an in situ imaging instrument, we studied the global distribu-tion of large (〉600 μm) mesoplanktonic organisms. Among the 6.8 million imaged ob-jects, 330,000 were large zooplanktonic organisms and phytoplankton colonies, the rest consisting of marine snow particles. Multivariate ordination (PCA) and clustering were used to describe patterns in community composition, while comparison with existing regionalizations was performed with regression methods (RDA). Results: Within the observed size range, epipelagic plankton communities were Trichodesmium- enriched in the intertropical Atlantic, Copepoda- enriched at high latitudes and in upwelling areas, and Rhizaria-enriched in oligotrophic areas. In the mesopelagic layer, Copepoda-enriched communities were also found at high lati-tudes and in the Atlantic Ocean, while Rhizaria-enriched communities prevailed in the Peruvian upwelling system and a few mixed communities were found elsewhere. The comparison between the distribution of these communities and a set of existing regionalizations of the ocean suggested that the structure of plankton communities described above is mostly driven by basin- level environmental conditions. Main Conclusions: In both layers, three types of plankton communities emerged and seemed to be mostly driven by regional environmental conditions. This work sheds light on the role not only of metazoans, but also of unexpected large protists and cy-anobacteria in structuring large mesoplankton communities.

Description: Understanding how community assembly processes drive biodiversity patterns is a \ncentral goal of community ecology. While it is generally accepted that ecological communities are assembled by both stochastic and deterministic processes, quantifying \ntheir relative importance remains challenging. Few studies have investigated how the \nrelative importance of stochastic and deterministic community assembly processes vary \namong taxa and along gradients of habitat degradation. Using data on 1645 arthropod species across seven taxonomic groups in Malaysian Borneo, we quantified the \nimportance of ecological stochasticity and of a suite of community assembly processes \nacross a gradient of logging intensity. The relationship between logging and community assembly varied depending on the specific combination of taxa and stochasticity \nmetric used, but, in general, the processes that govern invertebrate community assembly were remarkably robust to changes in land use intensity.

Description: Quantifying the abundances of fungi is key to understanding natural variation in mycorrhi-zal communities in relation to plant ecophysiology and environmental heterogeneity. High-throughput metabarcoding approaches have transformed our ability to characterize and com-pare complex mycorrhizal communities. However, it remains unclear how well metabarcodingread counts correlate with actual read abundances in the sample, potentially limiting their useas a proxy for species abundances. Here, we use droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to evaluate the reliability of ITS2 metabarcodingdata for quantitative assessments of mycorrhizal communities in the orchid speciesNeottiaovatasampled at multiple sites. We performed specific ddPCR assays for eight families oforchid mycorrhizal fungi and compared the results with read counts obtained from metabar-coding. Our results demonstrate a significant correlation between DNA copy numbers measured byddPCR assays and metabarcoding read counts of major mycorrhizal partners ofN. ovata,highlighting the usefulness of metabarcoding for quantifying the abundance of orchid mycor-rhizal fungi. Yet, the levels of correlation between the two methods and the numbers of falsezero values varied across fungal families, which warrants cautious evaluation of the reliabilityof low-abundance families. This study underscores the potential of metabarcoding data for more quantitative analysesof mycorrhizal communities and presents practical workflows for metabarcoding and ddPCRto achieve a more comprehensive understanding of orchid mycorrhizal communities

Description: Owing to the complicated spatial–temporal characteristics of East Asian precipitation (EAP), climate models have limited skills in simulating the modern Asian climate. This consequently leads to large uncertainties in simulations of the past EAP variation and future projections. Here, we explore the performance of the newly developed Alfred Wegener Institute Climate Model,version 3 (AWI-CM3) in simulating the climatological summer EAP. To test whether the model's skill depends on its atmosphere resolution, we design two AWI-CM3 simulations with different horizontal resolutions. The result shows that both simulations have acceptable performance in simulating the summer mean EAP, generally better than the majority of individual models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). However, for the monthly EAP from June to August, AWI-CM3 exhibits a decayed skill, which is due to the subseasonal movement of the western Pacific subtropical high bias. The higher-resolution AWI-CM3 simulation shows an overall improvement relative to the one performed at a relatively lower resolution in all aspects taken into account regarding the EAP. We conclude that AWI-CM3 is a suitable tool for exploring the EAP for the observational period. Having verified the model's skill for modern climate, we suggest employing the AWI-CM3, especially with high atmosphere resolution, both for applications in paleoclimate studies and future projections.

Description: Interoceanic canals can facilitate biological invasions as they connect the world's oceans and remove dispersal barriers between bioregions. As a consequence, multiple opportunities for biotic exchange arise and the resulting establishment of migrant species often causes adverse ecological and economic impacts. The Panama Canal is a key region for biotic exchange as it connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in Central America. In this study, we used two complementary methods (environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding and gillnetting) to survey fish communities in this unique waterway. Using COI (cytochrome oxidase subunit I) metabarcoding, we detected a total of 142 fish species, including evidence for the presence of sixteen Atlantic and eight Pacific marine fish in different freshwater sections of the Canal. Of these, nine are potentially new records. Molecular data did not capture all species caught with gillnets, but generally provided a more complete image of the known fish fauna as more small-bodied fish species were detected. Diversity indices based on eDNA surveys revealed significant differences across different sections of the Canal reflecting in part the prevailing environmental conditions. The observed increase in the presence of marine fish species in the Canal indicates a growing potential for interoceanic fish invasions. The potential ecological and evolutionary consequences of this increase in marine fishes are not only restricted to the fish fauna in the Canal as they could also impact adjacent ecosystems in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Description: Hazardous ground deformation and landslides occur frequently in the Mila Basin, Algeria and this problem remains unsolved. However, the historical seismicity in the area indicates no severe damage from past earthquakes. For this reason, studies are needed to monitor the slow ground movements and their triggering factors. Since about two decades ago, satellite observations by interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technique and the multi-temporal (MT-InSAR) technique have provided a tool for monitoring slow and extremely slow ground displacements. In this study, 2D decomposition of InSAR outputs revealed a sliding surface at two regions located 12 km apart, indicating slow motion rather than fast movement along the damaged area. We concluded that the factors leading to surface displacement in the investigated area include the triggering earthquakes, precipitation, terrain topography and soil moisture. This study contributes to landslide hazard identification and risk assessment in the Mila Basin.

Description: Published

Description: 407–423

Description: 2T. Deformazione crostale attiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: The Sicily region (central Mediterranean) is at high risk of drying and desertification caused by current warming and land management. The aim of this study is to place current climatic changes within the past trajectories and natural climatic variability of the Holocene. For this we re‐examine a sediment core retrieved at Lake Pergusa covering the last ca. 6700 years. A multiproxy investigation, and in particular the oxygen isotope composition of lacustrine carbonate (δ18Oc), allowed us to reconstruct decadal‐ to centennial‐scale hydrological changes. The wettest period occurred between ca. 6700 and 6000 cal a BP. The δ18Oc record indicates a new period of wetter conditions between ca. 3700 and 2400 cal a BP. In particular, a δ18Oc minimum between 2850 and 2450 cal a BP overlaps with the period of the ‘Great Solar Minimum’ and corresponds to a dramatic reduction of arboreal pollen (AP%) and to an increase in synanthropic pollen, marking the onset of Greek colonization in the region. The longest driest interval corresponds to the Medieval Climate Anomaly, whereas the highest δ18Oc values are recorded in the last 150 years. The trend of the last 3000 years suggests that, considering future climate projections, the area will experience unprecedented drying exacerbated by human impact.

Description: Published

Description: 1280-1293

Description: 5A. Ricerche polari e paleoclima

Description: JCR Journal

Description: © The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Paight, C., Johnson, M., Lasek‐Nesselquist, E., & Moeller, H. Cascading effects of prey identity on gene expression in a kleptoplastidic ciliate. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 70(1), (2022): e12940, https://doi.org/10.1111/jeu.12940.

Description: Kleptoplastidic, or chloroplast stealing, lineages transiently retain functional photosynthetic machinery from algal prey. This machinery, and its photosynthetic outputs, must be integrated into the host's metabolism, but the details of this integration are poorly understood. Here, we study this metabolic integration in the ciliate Mesodinium chamaeleon, a coastal marine species capable of retaining chloroplasts from at least six distinct genera of cryptophyte algae. To assess the effects of feeding history on ciliate physiology and gene expression, we acclimated M. chamaeleon to four different types of prey and contrasted well-fed and starved treatments. Consistent with previous physiological work on the ciliate, we found that starved ciliates had lower chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rates, and growth rates than their well-fed counterparts. However, ciliate gene expression mirrored prey phylogenetic relationships rather than physiological status, suggesting that, even as M. chamaeleon cells were starved of prey, their overarching regulatory systems remained tuned to the prey type to which they had been acclimated. Collectively, our results indicate a surprising degree of prey-specific host transcriptional adjustments, implying varied integration of prey metabolic potential into many aspects of ciliate physiology.

Description: This work was supported by a grant from the Simons Foundation (Award # 689265 to HVM). Research was sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Office and accomplished under contract W911NF-19-D-0001 for the Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies.

Description: © The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Cones, S., Dent, M., Walkes, S., Bocconcelli, A., DeWind, C., Arjasbi, K., Rose, K., Silva, T., & Sayigh, L. Probable signature whistle production in Atlantic white-sided (Lagenorhynchus acutus) and short-beaked common (Delphinus delphis) dolphins near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Marine Mammal Science, 39(1), (2022): 338-344, https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12976.

Description: Some delphinids produce a learned, individually specific tonal whistle that conveys identity information to conspecifics (Janik & Sayigh, 2013). These whistles, termed signature whistles, were first described by Caldwell and Caldwell (1965) and have been studied intensively over the past several decades (Janik & Sayigh, 2013). In common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and potentially other species, signature whistles facilitate many ecologically-important behaviors, including individual recognition and maintenance of group cohesion (Janik & Slater, 1998). Additionally, signature whistle contours, or patterns of frequency change over time, can remain stable for several decades, aiding in long-term social bonds (Sayigh et al., 1990). Signature whistles account for approximately 38%–70% of all whistle production in free-swimming animals (Buckstaff, 2004; Cook et al., 2004; Watwood et al., 2005); this percentage can be up to 100% for isolated individuals in captivity (Caldwell et al., 1990). Most of our knowledge on the function and use of signature whistles stems from Tursiops spp., and their use and presence in other delphinid taxa is less understood. Nonetheless, seven additional delphinid species have been reported to produce signature whistles: Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus; Gridley et al., 2014), common dolphins (D. delphis; Caldwell & Caldwell 1968; Fearey et al., 2019), Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella plagiodon; Caldwell et al., 1970), Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens; Caldwell & Caldwell, 1973), Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis; Van Parijs & Corkeron, 2001), and Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis; Duarte de Figueiredo & Simão, 2009).

Description: Woods Hole Sea Grant, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Grant/Award Number: NA14OAR4170074

Description: Active hydrothermal travertine systems are ideal environments to investigate how abiotic and biotic processes affect mineralization mechanisms and mineral fabric formation. In this study, a biogeochemical characterization of waters, dissolved gases, and microbial mats was performed together with a mineralogical investigation on travertine encrustations occurring at the outflow channel of a thermal spring. The comprehensive model, compiled by means of TOUGHREACT computational tool from measured parameters, revealed that mineral phases were differently influenced by either abiotic conditions or microbially driven processes. Microbial mats are shaped by light availability and temperature gradient of waters flowing along the channel. Mineralogical features were homogeneous throughout the system, with euhedral calcite crystals, related to inorganic precipitation induced by CO2 degassing, and calcite shrubs associated with organomineralization processes, thus indicating an indirect microbial participation to the mineral deposition (microbially influenced calcite). The microbial activity played a role in driving calcite redissolution processes, resulting in circular pits on calcite crystal surfaces possibly related to the metabolic activity of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria found at a high relative abundance within the biofilm community. Sulfur oxidation might also explain the occurrence of gypsum crystals embedded in microbial mats, since gypsum precipitation could be induced by a local increase in sulfate concentration mediated by S-oxidizing bacteria, regardless of the overall undersaturated environmental conditions. Moreover, the absence of gypsum dissolution suggested the capability of microbial biofilm in modulating the mobility of chemical species by providing a protective envelope on gypsum crystals.

Description: Published

Description: 837-856

Description: 6A. Geochimica per l'ambiente e geologia medica

Description: JCR Journal

Description: With declining biodiversity worldwide, a better understanding of species diversity and their relationships is imperative for conservation and management efforts. Marine sponges are species-rich ecological key players on coral reefs, but their species diversity is still poorly understood. This is particularly true for the demosponge order Haplosclerida, whose systematic relationships are contentious due to the incongruencies between morphological and molecular phylogenetic hypotheses. The single gene markers applied in previous studies did not resolve these discrepancies. Hence, there is a high need for a genome-wide approach to derive a phylogenetically robust classification and understand this group\'s evolutionary relationships. To this end, we developed a target enrichment-based multilocus probe assay for the order Haplosclerida using transcriptomic data. This probe assay consists of 20,000 enrichment probes targeting 2956 ultraconserved elements in coding (i.e. exon) regions across the genome and was tested on 26 haplosclerid specimens from the Red Sea. Our target-enrichment approach correctly placed our samples in a well-supported phylogeny, in agreement with previous haplosclerid molecular phylogenies. Our results demonstrate the applicability of high-resolution genomic methods in a systematically complex marine invertebrate group and provide a promising approach for robust phylogenies of Haplosclerida. Subsequently, this will lead to biologically unambiguous taxonomic revisions, better interpretations of biological and ecological observations and new avenues for applied research, conservation and managing declining marine diversity.

Description: The Southern Ocean, a globally important CO2 sink, is one of the most susceptible regions in the world to climate change. Phytoplankton of the coastal shelf waters around the Western Antarctic Peninsula have been experiencing rapid warming over the past decades and current ongoing climatic changes will expose them to ocean acidification and high light intensities due to increasing stratification. We conducted a multiple-stressor experiment to evaluate the response of the still poorly studied key Antarctic cryptophyte species Geminigera cryophila to warming in combination with ocean acidification and high irradiance. Based on the thermal growth response of G. cryophila, we grew the cryptophyte at suboptimal (2°C) and optimal (4°C) temperatures in combination with two light intensities (medium light: 100 μmol photons m−2 s−1 and high light [HL]: 500 μmol photons m−2 s−1) under ambient (400 μatm pCO2) and high pCO2 (1000 μatm pCO2) conditions. Our results reveal that G. cryophila was not susceptible to high pCO2, but was strongly affected by HL at 2°C, as both growth and carbon fixation were significantly reduced. In comparison, warming up to 4°C stimulated the growth of the cryptophyte and even alleviated the previously observed negative effects of HL at 2°C. When grown, however, at temperatures above 4°C, the cryptophyte already reached its maximal thermal limit at 8°C, pointing out its vulnerability toward even higher temperatures. Hence, our results clearly indicate that warming and high light and not pCO2 control the growth of G. cryophila.

Description: Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) availability and the divergent requirements of phytoplankton species were recently shown to be potential important drivers of Southern Ocean community composition. Knowledge about Antarctic phytoplankton species requirements for Fe and Mn remains, however, scarce. By performing laboratory experiments and additional calculations of the photosynthetic electron transport, we investigated the response of the ecologically important species Phaeocystis antarctica under a combination of different Fe and Mn concentrations. Fe deprivation alone provoked typical physiological characteristics of Fe limitation in P. antarctica (e.g., lowered growth and photosynthetic efficiency). In comparison, under Mn deprivation alone, the growth and carbon production of P. antarctica were not impacted. Its tolerance to cope with low Mn concentrations resulted from an efficient photoacclimation strategy, including a higher number of active photosystems II through which fewer electrons were transported. This strategy allowed us to maintain similar high growth and carbon production rates as FeMn-enriched cells. Due to its low Mn requirement, P. antarctica performed physiologically as Fe-deprived cells under the combined depletion of Fe and Mn. Hence, our study reveals that different from other Southern Ocean phytoplankton species, P. antarctica possesses a high capacity to cope with natural low Mn concentrations, which can facilitate its dominance over others, potentially explaining its ecological success across the Southern Ocean.

Description: The twisted-winged parasite genus Stylops has a history of different species concepts with varying host specificity resulting in diverse species diversity estimates in different regions of the Holarctic. The adoption of a supergeneralist species concept in Europe, proposing synonymization of all Western Palaearctic Stylops species, did not facilitate taxonomic clarity and obscured the available life-history data in the region for decades. Lack of molecular data has allowed divergent opinions on species hypotheses and little opportunity for evaluating them in this morphologically challenging genus. To solve these discrepancies and gain novel information about host associations, we applied whole-genome sequencing to 163 specimens, representing a significant portion of putative European species. We evaluate the existing and conflicting species hypotheses with molecular species delimitation using Species bOundry Delimitation using Astral (SODA)and use a maximum likelihood phylogeny to investigate host associations of the species. Furthermore, we evaluate the effect of a number of loci used in SODA for the number of inferred species. We find justification for synonymization of multiple species and indications of undescribed species, as well as new host\xe2\x80\x93parasite relationships. We show that the number of inferred species in SODA is exceedingly and positively correlated with the number of loci used, urging for cautious application. The results of our study bring clarity to the Western Palaearctic species diversity of Stylops. Furthermore, the comprehensive molecular dataset generated in this study will be a valuable resource for future studies on Stylops and the evolution of parasites in general.

Description: 〈jats:title〉Abstract〈/jats:title〉〈jats:p〉Phages depend on their bacterial hosts to replicate. The habitat, density and genetic diversity of host populations are therefore key factors in phage ecology, but our ability to explore their biology depends on the isolation of a diverse and representative collection of phages from different sources. Here, we compared two populations of marine bacterial hosts and their phages collected during a time series sampling program in an oyster farm. The population of 〈jats:italic〉Vibrio crassostreae〈/jats:italic〉, a species associated specifically to oysters, was genetically structured into clades of near clonal strains, leading to the isolation of closely related phages forming large modules in phage–bacterial infection networks. For 〈jats:italic〉Vibrio chagasii〈/jats:italic〉, which blooms in the water column, a lower number of closely related hosts and a higher diversity of isolated phages resulted in small modules in the phage–bacterial infection network. Over time, phage load was correlated with 〈jats:italic〉V. chagasii〈/jats:italic〉 abundance, indicating a role of host blooms in driving phage abundance. Genetic experiments further demonstrated that these phage blooms can generate epigenetic and genetic variability that can counteract host defence systems. These results highlight the importance of considering both the environmental dynamics and the genetic structure of the host when interpreting phage–bacteria networks.〈/jats:p〉

Description: Copepods are the most abundant metazoans on Earth, driving cycles of key elements in aquatic systems, most prominently carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). One key factor determining nutrient cycling is copepod somatic stoichiometry, which can reflect ecological strategy. We conducted a systematic review that updates the seminal work of Båmstedt (1986) by summarizing the effects of latitude, habitat, life history stage, and taxonomy on C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios of field-collected copepods. We found that differences among copepod families accounted for the greatest variation, with the Rhincalanidae and Diaptomidae being particularly C-rich, while the Calanidae were more N- and P-rich. Copepod C:N was higher in inland waters compared with animals from marine environments in both copepodites and adult females, matching the higher C content of seston in many inland freshwaters. For both copepodites and adult females, mid-latitude animals had higher C:N and C:P than high-latitude animals, which matched predictions based on the availability of nutrients or adaptation to cold environments. More data must be gathered to fill gaps in our knowledge of copepod stoichiometry, focusing particularly on younger life stages, non-calanoids, low and high latitudes, the southern hemisphere, and estuarine and some inland water habitats, including large lakes. Such information will help better parameterize models of aquatic ecosystems and improve our understanding of how copepods influence consumer-driven nutrient cycling and food web dynamics.

Description: 〈jats:title〉ABSTRACT〈/jats:title〉〈jats:p〉Ooids are abundant carbonate grains throughout much of Earth's history, but their formation is not well understood. Here, an in‐depth study of microbial bioerosion features of Holocene ooids from the Schooner Cays ooid shoals (Great Bahama Bank, Eleuthera, Bahamas) and the Shalil al Ud ooid shoals in the Gulf (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) is presented. No obvious differences were found in ooid size distribution, cortex layer thickness, the composition of nuclei or euendolithic community when comparing ooids from both locations. Microendolithic borings are present in most studied ooid surfaces, but the intensity of (micro‐)bioerosion varies significantly. Applying an epoxy vacuum cast‐embedding technique allowed the identification of ichnotaxa and their inferred producers (various genera of diatoms, cyanobacteria, coccolithophores and unspecified bacteria). Euendolithic taxa have specific low‐light tolerances and light optima. This implies that information about the relative bathymetry (seafloor versus burial within an ooid shoal) and ecology for ooid cortex formation can be obtained via the presence or absence of their respective ichnotaxa. The history of a statistically significant number of ooid cortices can be translated into dune dynamics and the temporal variations thereof by allocating the inferred index producer to a defined burial or light penetration zone. In this context, ooid formation can be divided into four stages: (i) an agitation stage in the water column, characterized by the colonization of grains by photoautotrophs; (ii) a resting stage, characterized by temporary burial of the ooid, leading to immobilization and a shift towards heterotrophs; (iii) a sleeping stage, characterized by prolonged burial and colonialization by organotrophs; and (iv) a reactivation stage, characterized by a resurfacing of the ooid and a subsequent shift towards photoautotrophs. The sleeping stage is presumably a stage of ooid degradation where bioerosion, mainly by heterotrophic fungi and bacteria is particularly active.〈/jats:p〉

Description: Global warming causes dramatic environmental change to Arctic ecosystems. While pelagic primary production is initiated earlier and its intensity can be increased due to earlier ice melt and extended open-water periods, sea-ice primary production is progressively confined on a spatio-temporal scale, leading to unknown consequences for the ice-associated (sympagic) food web. Understanding ecological responses to changes in the availability and composition of pelagic and sympagic food sources is crucial to determine potential changes of food-web structure and functioning in Arctic marine communities under increasingly ice-free conditions. Focus was placed on the importance of suspended particulate organic matter vs. sympagic organic matter for 12 zooplankton species with different feeding modes covering five taxonomic groups (copepods, krill, amphipods, chaetognaths, and appendicularians) at two ice-covered, but environmentally different, stations in the north-western Barents Sea in August 2019. Contributions of diatom- and flagellate-associated fatty acids (FAs) to total lipid content and carbon stable isotopic compositions of these FAs were used to discriminate food sources and trace flows of organic matter in marine food webs. Combination of proportional contributions of FA markers with FA isotopic composition indicated that consumers mostly relied, directly (herbivorous species), or indirectly (omnivorous and carnivorous species), on pelagic diatoms and flagellates, independently of environmental conditions at the sampling locations, trophic position, and feeding mode. Differences were nevertheless observed between species. Contrary to other studies demonstrating a high importance of sympagic organic matter for food-web processes, our results highlight the complexity and variability of trophic structures and dependencies in different Arctic food webs.

Description: The availability of underwater light, as primary energy source for all aquatic photoautotrophs, is (and will further be) altered by changing precipitation, water turbidity, mixing depth, and terrestrial input of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM). While experimental manipulations of CDOM input and turbidity are frequent, they often involve multiple interdependent changes (light, nutrients, C-supply). To create a baseline for the expected effects of light reduction alone, we performed a weighted meta-analysis on 240 published experiments (from 108 studies yielding 2500 effect sizes) that directly reduced light availability and measured marine autotroph responses. Across all organisms, habitats, and response variables, reduced light led to an average 23% reduction in biomass-related performance, whereas the effect sizes on physiological performance did not significantly differ from zero. Especially, pigment content increased with reduced light, which indicated a strong physiological plasticity in response to diminished light. This acclimation potential was also indicated by light reduction effects minimized if the experiments lasted longer. Nevertheless, the performance (especially biomass accrual) was reduced the more the less light intensity remained available. Light reduction effects were also more negative at higher temperatures if ambient light conditions were poor. Macrophytes or benthic systems were more negatively affected by light reduction than microalgae or plankton systems, especially in physiological responses were microalgae and plankton showed slightly positive responses. Otherwise, the effect magnitudes remained surprisingly consistent across habitats and aspects of experimental design. Therefore, the strong observed log–linear relationship between remaining light and autotrophic performance can be used as a baseline to predict marine primary production in future light climate.

Description: Driven by climate change, marine biodiversity is undergoing a phase of rapid change that has proven to be even faster than changes observed in terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding how these changes in species composition will affect future marine life is crucial for conservation management, especially due to increasing demands for marine natural resources. Here, we analyse predictions of a multiparameter habitat suitability model covering the global projected ranges of 〉33,500 marine species from climate model projections under three CO2 emission scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5) up to the year 2100. Our results show that the core habitat area will decline for many species, resulting in a net loss of 50% of the core habitat area for almost half of all marine species in 2100 under the high-emission scenario RCP8.5. As an additional consequence of the continuing distributional reorganization of marine life, gaps around the equator will appear for 8% (RCP2.6), 24% (RCP4.5), and 88% (RCP8.5) of marine species with cross-equatorial ranges. For many more species, continuous distributional ranges will be disrupted, thus reducing effective population size. In addition, high invasion rates in higher latitudes and polar regions will lead to substantial changes in the ecosystem and food web structure, particularly regarding the introduction of new predators. Overall, our study highlights that the degree of spatial and structural reorganization of marine life with ensued consequences for ecosystem functionality and conservation efforts will critically depend on the realized greenhouse gas emission pathway.

Description: Coastal ecosystem functioning often hinges on habitat-forming foundation species that engage in positive interactions (e.g. facilitation and mutualism) to reduce environmental stress. Seagrasses are important foundation species in coastal zones but are rapidly declining with losses typically linked to intensifying global change-related environmental stress. There is growing evidence that loss or disruption of positive interactions can amplify coastal ecosystem degradation as it compromises its stress mitigating capacity. Multiple recent studies highlight that seagrass can engage in a facultative mutualistic relationship with lucinid bivalves that alleviate sulphide toxicity. So far, however, the generality of this mutualism, and how its strength and relative importance depend on environmental conditions, remains to be investigated. Here we study the importance of the seagrass-lucinid mutualistic interaction on a continental-scale using a field survey across Europe. We found that the lucinid bivalve Loripes orbiculatus is associated with the seagrasses Zostera noltii and Zostera marina across a large latitudinal range. At locations where the average minimum temperature was above 1 °C, L. orbiculatus was present in 79% of the Zostera meadows; whereas, it was absent below this temperature. At locations above this minimum temperature threshold, mud content was the second most important determinant explaining the presence or absence of L. orbiculatus. Further analyses suggest that the presence of the lucinids have a positive effect on seagrass biomass by mitigating sulphide stress. Finally, results of a structural equation model (SEM) support the existence of a mutualistic feedback between L. orbiculatus and Z. noltii. We argue that this seagrass-lucinid mutualism should be more solidly integrated into management practices to improve seagrass ecosystem resilience to global change as well as the success of restoration efforts.

Description: During the productive polar day, zooplankton and sea-ice amphipods fulfill a critical role in energy transfer from primary producers to higher trophic-level species in Arctic marine ecosystems. Recent polar night studies on zooplankton and sea-ice amphipods suggest higher levels of biological activity than previously assumed. However, it is unknown if these invertebrates maintain polar night activity on stored lipids, opportunistic feeding, or a combination of both. To assess how zooplankton (copepods, amphipods, and krill) and sea-ice amphipods support themselves on seasonally varying resources, we studied their lipid classes, fatty acid compositions, and compound-specific stable isotopes of trophic biomarker fatty acids during polar day (June/July) and polar night (January). Lipid storage and fatty acid results confirm previously described dietary sources in all species during polar day. We found evidence of polar night feeding in all species, including shifts from herbivory to omnivory. Sympagic-, pelagic-, and Calanus spp.-derived carbon sources supported zooplankton and sea-ice amphipods in both seasons. We provide a first indication of polar night feeding of sea-ice amphipods in the pelagic realm.

Description: Phytoplankton growth is controlled by multiple environmental drivers, which are all modified by climate change. While numerous experimental studies identify interactive effects between drivers, large-scale ocean biogeochemistry models mostly account for growth responses to each driver separately and leave the results of these experimental multiple-driver studies largely unused. Here, we amend phytoplankton growth functions in a biogeochemical model by dual-driver interactions (CO2 and temperature, CO2 and light), based on data of a published meta-analysis on multiple-driver laboratory experiments. The effect of this parametrization on phytoplankton biomass and community composition is tested using present-day and future high-emission (SSP5-8.5) climate forcing. While the projected decrease in future total global phytoplankton biomass in simulations with driver interactions is similar to that in control simulations without driver interactions (5%-6%), interactive driver effects are group-specific. Globally, diatom biomass decreases more with interactive effects compared with the control simulation (-8.1% with interactions vs. no change without interactions). Small-phytoplankton biomass, by contrast, decreases less with on-going climate change when the model accounts for driver interactions (-5.0% vs. -9.0%). The response of global coccolithophore biomass to future climate conditions is even reversed when interactions are considered (+33.2% instead of -10.8%). Regionally, the largest difference in the future phytoplankton community composition between the simulations with and without driver interactions is detected in the Southern Ocean, where diatom biomass decreases (-7.5%) instead of increases (+14.5%), raising the share of small phytoplankton and coccolithophores of total phytoplankton biomass. Hence, interactive effects impact the phytoplankton community structure and related biogeochemical fluxes in a future ocean. Our approach is a first step to integrate the mechanistic understanding of interacting driver effects on phytoplankton growth gained by numerous laboratory experiments into a global ocean biogeochemistry model, aiming toward more realistic future projections of phytoplankton biomass and community composition.

Description: Benthic suspension feeders like corals and sponges are important bioengineers in many marine habitats, from the shallow tropics to the depth of polar oceans. While they are generally considered opportunistic, little is known about their actual in situ diet. To tackle this limitation, fatty acid trophic markers (FATMs) have been employed to gain insights into the composition of their diet. Yet, these in situ studies have not been combined with physiological investigations to understand how physiological limitations may modulate the biochemistry of these organisms. Here, we used the cold-water coral (CWC) Desmophyllum dianthus in its natural habitat in Comau Fjord (Northern Patagonia, Chile) as our model species to assess the trophic ecology in response to contrasting physico-chemical conditions (variable vs. stable) and ecological drivers (food availability) at three shallow sites and one deep site. We took advantage of the expression of two distinct phenotypes with contrasting performance (growth, biomass, respiration) coinciding with the differences in sampling depth. We analysed the corals' fatty acid composition to evaluate the utility of FATM profiles to gain dietary insights and assess how performance trade-offs potentially modulate an organism's FATM composition. We found that 20:1(n-9) zooplankton markers dominated the deep high-performance phenotype, while 20:5(n-3) and 22:6(n-3) diatom and flagellate markers, respectively, are more prominent in shallow low-performance phenotype. Surprisingly, both energy stores and performance were higher in the deep phenotype, in spite of measured lower zooplankton availability. Essential FA concentrations were conserved across sites, likely reflecting required levels for coral functioning and survival. While the deep high-performance phenotype met with these requirements, the low-performance phenotype appeared to need more energy to maintain functionality in its highly variable environment, potentially causing intrinsic re-allocations of energy and enrichment in certain essential markers (20:5(n-3), 22:6(n-3)). Our analysis highlights the biological and ecological insights that can be gained from FATM profiles in CWCs, but also cautions the reliability of FATM as diet tracers under limiting environmental conditions that may also be applicable to other marine organisms. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Description: Against the background of the UN decade on ecosystem restoration and the new EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and in the context of marine spatial planning and complex maritime user conflicts, reliable information on habitat suitability for large-scale restoration is an important prerequisite for implementing conservation management and for supporting successful, sustainable, and ecologically efficient restoration measures. In this study, habitat suitability was assessed using multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) for the restoration of the European oyster, Ostrea edulis, in marine protected areas (MPAs) of the German Bight in the North Sea: Borkum Reef Ground (Borkum Riffgrund, BRG) and Sylt Outer Reef – Eastern German Bight (Sylter Außenriff, SAR). Based on site selection criteria, exclusion and suitability factors for the MCDA were defined. Results were integrated with the available geodata to produce habitat suitability maps for oyster restoration in the area of interest. Suitable as well as unsuitable habitats have been successfully identified for both MPAs: several hundred square kilometres (≥97.2% of BRG) or several thousand square kilometres (≥74.5% of SAR) were classified as ecologically and logistically suitable for oyster restoration measures in the respective MPAs. As oyster restoration is significantly limited by human activities (e.g. bottom trawl fisheries), the management of fisheries is an important prerequisite for successful oyster restoration in both MPAs. Results show that designated fishery management measures will increase the possibilities for oyster restoration. In BRG, our results correspond to the known historical distribution. In SAR, our results significantly exceed the historically known distribution. The habitat suitability analysis will facilitate decision-making regarding ocean use, and will reduce restoration costs through targeted management activities in areas of high suitability and expand species recovery by improving the survival of reintroduced individuals. The habitat suitability analysis procedure is easily adaptable for application to other areas, other species, or other habitat restoration projects, or to other conservation management settings. The software applied is open source and the suitability calculation is described in detail to inform wider applications.

Description: Nonvascular photoautotrophs (NVP), including bryophytes, lichens, terrestrial algae, and cyanobacteria, are increasingly recognized as being essential to ecosystem functioning in many regions of the world. Current research suggests that climate change may pose a substantial threat to NVP, but the extent to which this will affect the associated ecosystem functions and services is highly uncertain. Here, we propose a research agenda to address this urgent question, focusing on physiological and ecological processes that link NVP to ecosystem functions while also taking into account the substantial taxonomic diversity across multiple ecosystem types. Accordingly, we developed a new categorization scheme, based on microclimatic gradients, which simplifies the high physiological and morphological diversity of NVP and world-wide distribution with respect to several broad habitat types. We found that habitat-specific ecosystem functions of NVP will likely be substantially affected by climate change, and more quantitative process understanding is required on: (1) potential for acclimation; (2) response to elevated CO2; (3) role of the microbiome; and (4) feedback to (micro)climate. We suggest an integrative approach of innovative, multimethod laboratory and field experiments and ecophysiological modelling, for which sustained scientific collaboration on NVP research will be essential.

Description: The study of environmental ancient DNA provides us with the unique opportunity to link environmental with ecosystem change over a millennial timescale. Paleorecords such as lake sediments contain genetic pools of past living organisms that are a valuable source of information to reconstruct how ecosystems were and how they changed in response to climate in the past. Here, we report on paleometagenomics of a sedimentary record in northern Siberia covering the past 6700 years. We integrated taxonomic with functional gene analysis, which enabled to shed light not only on community compositions but also on eco-physiological adaptations and ecosystem functioning. We reconstructed the presence of an open boreal forest 6700 years ago that over time was gradually replaced by tundra. This vegetation change had major consequences on the environmental microbiome, primarily enriching bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers (e.g., Nitrospira, Nitrosopumilus, and Ca. Nitrosocosmicus) in the tundra ecosystem. We identified a core microbiome conserved through time and largely consisting of heterotrophic bacteria of the Bacteroidetes phylum (e.g., Mucilaginibacter) harboring numerous functional genes for degradation of plant-biomass and abiotic and biotic stress resistance. Archaea were also a key functional guild, involved in nitrogen and carbon cycling, not only methanogenesis but possibly also degradation of plant material via enzymes such as cellulases and amylases. Overall, the paleo-perspective offered by our study can have a profound impact on modern climate change biology, by helping to explain and predict the ecological interplay among multiple ecosystem levels based on past experiences.

Description: Global climatic changes expected in the next centuries are likely to cause unparalleled vegetation disturbances, which in turn impact ecosystem services. To assess the significance of disturbances, it is necessary to characterize and understand typical natural vegetation variability on multi-decadal timescales and longer. We investigate this in the Holocene vegetation by examining a taxonomically harmonized and temporally standardized global fossil pollen dataset. Using principal component analysis, we characterize the variability in pollen assemblages, which are a proxy for vegetation composition, and derive timescale-dependent estimates of variability using the first-order Haar structure function. We find, on average, increasing fluctuations in vegetation composition from centennial to millennial timescales, as well as spatially coherent patterns of variability. We further relate these variations to pairwise comparisons between biome classes based on vegetation composition. As such, higher variability is identified for open-land vegetation compared to forests. This is consistent with the more active fire regimes of open-land biomes fostering variability. Needleleaf forests are more variable than broadleaf forests on shorter (centennial) timescales, but the inverse is true on longer (millennial) timescales. This inversion could also be explained by the fire characteristics of the biomes as fire disturbances would increase vegetation variability on shorter timescales, but stabilize vegetation composition on longer timecales by preventing the migration of less fire-adapted species.

Description: Protist plankton are major members of open-water marine food webs. Traditionally divided between phototrophic phytoplankton and phagotrophic zooplankton, recent research shows many actually combine phototrophy and phagotrophy in the one cell; these protists are the “mixoplankton.” Under the mixoplankton paradigm, “phytoplankton” are incapable of phagotrophy (diatoms being exemplars), while “zooplankton” are incapable of phototrophy. This revision restructures marine food webs, from regional to global levels. Here, we present the first comprehensive database of marine mixoplankton, bringing together extant knowledge of the identity, allometry, physiology, and trophic interactivity of these organisms. This mixoplankton database (MDB) will aid researchers that confront difficulties in characterizing life traits of protist plankton, and it will benefit modelers needing to better appreciate ecology of these organisms with their complex functional and allometric predator–prey interactions. The MDB also identifies knowledge gaps, including the need to better understand, for different mixoplankton functional types, sources of nutrition (use of nitrate, prey types, and nutritional states), and to obtain vital rates (e.g. growth, photosynthesis, ingestion, factors affecting photo’ vs. phago’ -trophy). It is now possible to revisit and re-classify protistan “phytoplankton” and “zooplankton” in extant databases of plankton life forms so as to clarify their roles in marine ecosystems.

Description: We assessed the responses of solitary cells of Arctic Phaeocystis pouchetii grown under a matrix of temperature (2°C vs. 6°C), light intensity (55 vs. 160 μmol photons m−2 s−1) and pCO2 (400 vs. 1000 μatm CO2, i.e., 40.5 vs. 101.3 Pa). Next to acclimation parameters (growth rates, particulate and dissolved organic C and N, Chlorophyll a content), we measured physiological processes in vivo (electron transport rates and net photosynthesis) using fast-repetition rate fluorometry and membrane-inlet mass spectrometry. Within the applied driver ranges, elevated temperature had the most pronounced impacts, significantly increasing growth, elemental quotas and photosynthetic performance. Light stimulations manifested more prominently under 6°C, underlining temperature's role as a “master-variable”. pCO2 was the least effective driver, exerting mostly insignificant effects. The obtained data were used for a simplistic upscaling simulation to investigate potential changes in P. pouchetii's bloom dynamics in the Fram Strait with increasing temperatures over the 21st century. Although solitary cells might not be fully representative of colonial cells commonly observed in the field, our results suggest that global warming accelerates bloom dynamics, with earlier onsets of blooms and higher peak biomasses. Such a temperature-induced acceleration in the phenology of Phaeocystis and likely other Arctic phytoplankton might cause temporal mismatches, e.g., with the development of grazers, and therefore substantially affect the biogeochemistry and ecology of the Arctic.

Description: Ecological restoration includes specific technical phases over the course of an ecosystem recovery process. In the marine environment and for oyster reef restoration, the installation and implementation of pilot reefs close the gap between feasibility studies with small-scale experiments and designated upscaling for marine conservation measures. Against this background, this study presents the design, planning and installation of the first pilot oyster reef in offshore sublittoral regions of the North Sea. The work was conducted as part of marine protected area management in the Natura 2000 site Borkum Reef Ground in the German Bight, in the area of historical offshore oyster grounds. It includes logistical considerations, material selection, methodology for reef base construction and deployment of European flat oysters Ostrea edulis as spat-on-shell, young and adult single seed oysters, and spat-on-reef, as well as the development of an efficient monitoring approach for reef-associated biodiversity. Native Oyster Restoration Alliance monitoring methodologies, such as underwater visual census and seabed images were selected, tested and successfully adapted for the pilot oyster reef and study site. The evaluation and optimization of offshore sublittoral oyster reef monitoring are presented here, and biodiversity metrics are put into perspective with data from recent and historical studies. Results show a few mobile fauna species (e.g., fish and decapods) as first colonizers after reef construction. One year later, biodiversity increased due to a larger number of invertebrate and fish species. However, the pilot oyster reef community still represents an early recolonization stage, with lower biodiversity than historical records. This study presents a proof of concept for the design, planning and construction of an offshore oyster reef and indicates stages in the recovery process. Strategies to optimize and to complement reef-monitoring in challenging environments are discussed, emphasizing additional molecular and functional analyses for future assessments.

Description: Dinoflagellates are a diverse group of eukaryotic microbes that are ubiquitous in aquatic environments. Largely photosynthetic, they encompass symbiotic, parasitic, and free-living lineages with a broad spectrum of trophism. Many free-living taxa can produce bioactive secondary metabolites such as biotox- ins, some of which cause harmful algal blooms. In contrast, most symbiotic species are crucial for sustaining coral reef health. The year 2023 marked a decade since the first genome data of dinoflagellates became available. The growing genome-scale resources for these taxa are highlighting their remarkable evolutionary and genomic complexities. Here, we discuss the prospect of developing dinoflagellate models using the criteria of accessibil- ity, tractability, resources, research support, and promise. Moving forward in the post-genomic era, we argue for the development of fit-to-purpose models that tailor to specific biological contexts, and that a one-size-fits-all model is inadequate for encapsulating the complex biology, ecology, and evolutionary history of dinoflagellates.

Description: Sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) has proven to be a useful tool for palaeoenvironmental studies, but only a handful of studies exist so far for tropical regions. In this study we used sedaDNA to study the temporal succession of Brachionus spp. rotifer mitochondrial DNA haplotypes using two sediment cores from two climatically different alkaline-saline crater lakes from the Kenyan Rift Valley. Data were retrieved from a sediment core (dating back to AD 1800) from Lake Kageinya, located in the remote, hot and hyper-arid Suguta Valley. sedaDNA was used to study the temporal succession of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes of Brachionus spp. rotifers. The results were compared to previously published data from Lake Sonachi, a well-studied lake in the humid and colder mountainous region of Kenya near the town of Naivasha, now supported by a 210Pb age chronology. Both records extend back before the onset of substantial anthropogenic impact in these regions. The results revealed that climate—rather than anthropogenic impact—was most strongly correlated with haplotype changes in both lakes. During prolonged dry periods (such as from AD 1910 to the late AD 1960s), certain haplotypes persisted. Sudden changes and the emergence of alter native haplotypes were observed when climate became more humid or during episodes of highly variable climate (before AD 1910 and from AD 1960s onwards). Progressive changes in prevailing haplotypes during periods with variable climate could reflect local adaptation and/or be the result of immigration of new haplotypes after the eradication of previous populations during extreme environmental conditions (high temperatures, UV irradiation, pH and salinity). The results indicate that, despite adverse chemical conditions, sedaDNA in tropical lake sediments is preserved for at least a few hundred years. Therefore, its analysis provides a useful complementary palaeoenvironmental proxy for palaeolimnological reconstructions and novel insights on changes in rotifer populations through time.

Description: The Arctic Ocean is home to a unique fauna that is disproportionately affected by global warming but that remains under-studied. Due to their high mobility and responsiveness to global warming, cephalopods and fishes are good indicators of the reshuffling of Arctic communities. Here, we established a nekton biodiversity baseline for the Fram Strait, the only deep connection between the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean. Using universal primers for fishes (12S) and cephalopods (18S), we amplified environmental DNA (eDNA) from seawater (50–2700 m) and deep-sea sediment samples collected at the LTER HAUSGARTEN observatory. We detected 12 cephalopod and 31 fish taxa in the seawater and seven cephalopod and 28 fish taxa in the sediment, including the elusive Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus). Our data suggest three fish (Mallotus villosus, Thunnus sp., and Micromesistius poutassou) and one squid (Histioteuthis sp.) range expansions. The detection of eDNA of pelagic origin in the sediment also suggests that M. villosus, Arctozenus risso, and M. poutassou as well as gonatid squids are potential contributors to the carbon flux. Continuous nekton monitoring is needed to understand the ecosystem impacts of rapid warming in the Arctic and eDNA proves to be a suitable tool for this endeavor.

Description: Color polymorphism is a classic study system for evolutionary genetics. One of the most color-polymorphic animal taxa is mollusks, but the investigation of the genetic basis of color determination is often hindered by their life history and the limited avail-ability of genetic resources. Here, we report on the discovery of shell color polymor-phism in a much-used model species, the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. While their shell is usually beige, some individuals from a Greek population show a distinct red shell color, which we nicknamed Ginger. Moreover, we found that the inheritance fits simple, single-locus Mendelian inheritance with dominance of the Ginger allele. We also compared crucial life-history traits between Ginger and wild-type individuals, and found no differences between morphs. We conclude that the relative simplicity of this polymorphism will provide new opportunities for a deeper understanding of the genetic basis of shell color polymorphism and its evolutionary origin.

Description: A rapidly warming Arctic Ocean and associated sea-ice decline is resulting in changing sea-ice protist communities, affecting productivity of under-ice, pelagic, and benthic fauna. Quantifying such effects is hampered by a lack of biomarkers suitable for tracing specific basal resources (primary producers and microorganisms) through food webs. We investigate the potential of δ13C values of essential amino acids (EAAs) (δ13CEAA values) to estimate the proportional use of diverse basal resources by organisms from the under-ice (Apherusa glacialis), pelagic (Calanus hyperboreus) and benthic habitats (sponges, sea cucumber), and the cryo-pelagic fish Boreogadus saida. Two approaches were used: baseline δ13CEAA values, that is, the basal resource specific δ13CEAA values, and δ13CEAA fingerprints, or mean-centred baseline δ13CEAA values. Substantial use of sub-ice algae Melosira arctica by all studied organisms suggests that its role within Arctic food webs is greater than previously recognized. In addition, δ13CEAA fingerprints from algae-associated bacteria were clearly traced to the sponges, with an individually variable kelp use by sea cucumbers. Although mean-centred δ13CEAA values in A. glacialis, C. hyperboreus, and B. saida tissues were aligned with microalgae resources, they were not fully represented by the filtered pelagic- and sea-ice particulate organic matter constituting the spring diatom-dominated algal community. Under-ice and pelagic microalgae use could only be differentiated with baseline δ13CEAA values as similar microalgae clades occur in both habitats. We suggest that δ13CEAA fingerprints combined with microalgae baseline δ13CEAA values are an insightful tool to assess the effect of ongoing changes in Arctic basal resources on their use by organisms.

Description: We analysed the robustness of species identification based on proteomic composition to data processing and intraspecific variability, specificity and sensitivity of species-markers as well as discriminatory power of proteomic fingerprinting and its sensitivity to phylogenetic distance. Our analysis is based on MALDI-TOF MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry) data from 32 marine copepod species coming from 13 regions (North and Central Atlantic and adjacent seas). A random forest (RF) model correctly classified all specimens to the species level with only small sensitivity to data processing, demonstrating the strong robustness of the method. Compounds with high specificity showed low sensitivity, that is identification was based on complex pattern-differences rather than on presence of single markers. Proteomic distance was not consistently related to phylogenetic distance. A species-gap in proteome composition appeared at 0.7 Euclidean distance when using only specimens from the same sample. When other regions or seasons were included, intraspecific variability increased, resulting in overlaps of intra and inter-specific distance. Highest intraspecific distances (〉0.7) were observed between specimens from brackish and marine habitats (i.e., salinity probably affects proteomic patterns). When testing library sensitivity of the RF model to regionality, strong misidentification was only detected between two congener pairs. Still, the choice of reference library may have an impact on identification of closely related species and should be tested before routine application. We envisage high relevance of this time- and cost-efficient method for future zooplankton monitoring as it provides not only in-depth taxonomic resolution for counted specimens but also add-on information, such as on developmental stage or environmental conditions.

Description: Infections by filamentous phages, which are usually nonlethal to the bacterial cells, influence bacterial fitness in various ways. While phage-encoded accessory genes, for example virulence genes, can be highly beneficial, the production of viral particles is energetically costly and often reduces bacterial growth. Consequently, if costs outweigh benefits, bacteria evolve resistance, which can shorten phage epidemics. Abiotic conditions are known to influence the net-fitness effect for infected bacteria. Their impact on the dynamics and trajectories of host resistance evolution, however, remains yet unknown. To address this, we experimentally evolved the bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus in the presence of a filamentous phage at three different salinity levels, that is (1) ambient, (2) 50% reduction and (3) fluctuations between reduced and ambient. In all three salinities, bacteria rapidly acquired resistance through super infection exclusion (SIE), whereby phage-infected cells acquired immunity at the cost of reduced growth. Over time, SIE was gradually replaced by evolutionary fitter surface receptor mutants (SRM). This replacement was significantly faster at ambient and fluctuating conditions compared with the low saline environment. Our experimentally parameterized mathematical model explains that suboptimal environmental conditions, in which bacterial growth is slower, slow down phage resistance evolution ultimately prolonging phage epidemics. Our results may explain the high prevalence of filamentous phages in natural environments where bacteria are frequently exposed to suboptimal conditions and constantly shifting selections regimes. Thus, our future ocean may favour the emergence of phage-born pathogenic bacteria and impose a greater risk for disease outbreaks, impacting not only marine animals but also humans.

Description: A sense of kuleana (personal responsibility) in caring for the land and sea. An appreciation for laulima (many hands cooperating). An understanding of aloha 'āina (love of the land). The University of Hawai'i at Manoa hosted the 2023 Ecological Dissertations in Aquatic Sciences (Eco-DAS) program, which fostered each of these intentions by bringing together a team of early career aquatic ecologists for a week of networking and collaborative, interdisciplinary project development

Description: The spectral composition of light is an important factor for the metabolism of photosynthetic organisms. Several blue light-regulated metabolic processes have already been identified in the industrially relevant microalga Monoraphidium braunii. However, little is known about the spectral impact on this species' growth, fatty acid (FA), and pigment composition. In this study, M. braunii was cultivated under different light spectra (white light: 400–700 nm, blue light: 400–550 nm, green light: 450–600 nm, and red light: 580–700 nm) at 25°C for 96 h. The growth was monitored daily. Additionally, the FA composition, and pigment concentration was analyzed after 96 h. The highest biomass production was observed upon white light and red light irradiation. However, green light also led to comparably high biomass production, fueling the scientific debate about the contribution of weakly absorbed light wavelengths to microalgal biomass production. All light spectra (white, blue, and green) that comprised blue-green light (450–550 nm) led to a higher degree of FA unsaturation and a greater concentration of all identified pigments than red light. These results further contribute to the growing understanding that blue-green light is an essential trigger for maximized pigment concentration and FA unsaturation in green microalgae.

Description: This article presents risk factors that are associated with the handling of unexploded ordnance (UXO) during explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operations in German waters. The construction of offshore wind parks and the German immediate action program are expected to increase the number of EOD operations. Existing literature and guidelines do not offer a structured and reproducible framework for assessing EOD risk. To fill this gap, a network of EOD risk factors was developed by means of a literature review and validation via expert consultation. The study was scoped to “personnel and equipment at the EOD location” as the risk receptor and “undesired detonation” as the undesired event under investigation. Factors are subdivided into UXO factors that depend on the object that should be handled and factors that describe the object's surrounding environment. While the former can be researched by an EOD expert, the latter must be measured on site or acquired from a model. Each of these factors contributes to risk, some directly and others indirectly via other factors. The complexity of the resulting network, with its 33 factors, demonstrates the need for a reliable and reproducible model to quantify EOD risk. Its purpose is not to replace EOD experts but to aid them in their decision‐making process. Such a tool can provide valuable support for the high‐cost and high‐risk EOD operations.

Description: The collection of zooplankton swimmers and sinkers in time-series sediment traps provides unique insight into year-round and interannual trends in zooplankton population dynamics. These samples are particularly valuable in remote and difficult to access areas such as the Arctic Ocean, where samples from the ice-covered season are rare. In the present study, we investigated zooplankton composition based on swimmers and sinkers collected by sediment traps at water depths of 180–280, 800–1320, and 2320–2550 m, over a period of 16 yr (2000–2016) at the Long-Term Ecological Research observatory HAUSGARTEN located in the eastern Fram Strait (79°N, 4°E). The time-series data showed seasonal and interannual trends within the dominant zooplankton groups including copepoda, foraminifera, ostracoda, amphipoda, pteropoda, and chaetognatha. Amphipoda and copepoda dominated the abundance of swimmers while pteropoda and foraminifera were the most important sinkers. Although the seasonal occurrence of these groups was relatively consistent between years, there were notable interannual variations in abundance, suggesting the influence of various environmental conditions such as sea-ice dynamic and lateral advection of water masses, for example, meltwater and Atlantic water. Statistical analyses revealed a correlation between the Arctic dipole climatic index and sea-ice dynamics (i.e., ice coverage and concentration), as well as the importance of the distance from the ice edge on swimmer composition patterns and carbon export.

Description: Communities and their functioning are jointly shaped by ecological and evolutionary processes that manifest in diversity shifts of their component species and genotypes. How both processes contribute to community functional change over time is rarely studied. We here repeatedly quantified eco-evolutionary contributions to CO2-driven total abundance and mean cell size changes after short-, mid-, and longer-term (80, 168, and 〉 168 d, respectively) in experimental phytoplankton communities. While the CO2-driven changes in total abundance and mean size in the short- and mid-term could be predominantly attributed to ecological shifts, the relative contribution of evolution increased. Over the longer-term, the CO2-effect and underlying eco-evolutionary changes disappeared, while total abundance increased, and mean size decreased significantly independently of CO2. The latter could be presumably attributed to CO2-independent genotype selection which fed back to species composition. In conclusion, ecological changes largely dominated the regulation of environmentally driven phytoplankton functional shifts at first. However, evolutionary changes gained importance with time, and can ultimately feedback on species composition, and thus must be considered when predicting phytoplankton change.

Description: Massive swarms of the red crab Pleuroncodes planipes (Stimpson, 1860), a species of squat lobster, are a dominant functional component of the upwelling ecosystem in the eastern Pacific Ocean (Boyd, 1967; Smith et al., 1975). These swarms can wash ashore on the coast, creating mass depositions of crustacean carcasses, a striking phenomenon that has been long documented in Baja California and California (Aurioles-Gamboa et al., 1994; Boyd, 1967). However, little is known about the fate of crab swarms transported offshore by oceanic currents. In May 2015, using an autonomous deep-sea robot, we discovered an unexpectedly large fall of red crab carcasses (〉1000 carcasses ha−1) at a depth of 4050 m on the abyssal Pacific seafloor (Figure 1), almost 1500 km from their spawning areas off the northwest American coast. Several questions arise from this unexpected finding that may help unveil additional close linkages in nutritional transport between processes at the sea surface and the remote abyssal seafloor.

Description: End-member modelling of bulk grain-size distributions allows the unravelling of natural and anthropogenic depositional processes in salt marshes and quantification of their respective contribution to marsh accretion. The sedimentology of two marshes is presented: (1) a sheltered back-barrier marsh; and (2) an exposed, reinstated foreland marsh. Sedimentological data are supplemented by an age model based on lead-210 decay and caesium-137, as well as geochemical data. End-member modelling of grain-size data shows that marsh growth in back-barrier settings is primarily controlled by the settling of fines from suspension during marsh inundation. In addition, nearby active dunes deliver aeolian sediment (up to 77% of the total sediment accretion), potentially enhancing the capability of salt marshes to adapt to sea-level rise. Growth of exposed marshes, by contrast, primarily results from high-energy inundation and is attributed to two sediment-transport processes. On the seaward edge of the marsh, sedimentation is dominated by coarser-grained traction load, whereas further inland, settling of fine-grained suspension load prevails. In addition, a third, coarse-grained sediment sub-population is interpreted to derive from anthropogenic land-reclamation measures, that is material from drainage channels relocated onto the marsh surface. This process contributed up to 34% to the total marsh accretion and terminated synchronously with the end of land reclamation measures. Data suggest that natural sediment supply to marshes alone is sufficient to outpace contemporary sea-level rise in the study area. This underlines the resilience potential of salt marshes in times of rising sea levels. The comparison of grain-size sub-populations with observed climate variability implies that even managed marshes allow for the extraction of environmental signals if natural and anthropogenic sedimentary processes are determined and their relative contribution to bulk sediment composition is quantified. Data series based solely on bulk sediments, however, seem to be of limited use because it is difficult to exclude bias of natural signals by anthropogenic measures.

Description: Driven by climate change, marine biodiversity is undergoing a phase of rapid change that has proven to be even faster than changes observed in terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding how these changes in species composition will affect future marine life is crucial for conservation management, especially due to increasing demands for marine natural resources. Here, we analyse predictions of a multiparameter habitat suitability model covering the global projected ranges of 〉33,500 marine species from climate model projections under three CO2 emission scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5) up to the year 2100. Our results show that the core habitat area will decline for many species, resulting in a net loss of 50% of the core habitat area for almost half of all marine species in 2100 under the high-emission scenario RCP8.5. As an additional consequence of the continuing distributional reorganization of marine life, gaps around the equator will appear for 8% (RCP2.6), 24% (RCP4.5), and 88% (RCP8.5) of marine species with cross-equatorial ranges. For many more species, continuous distributional ranges will be disrupted, thus reducing effective population size. In addition, high invasion rates in higher latitudes and polar regions will lead to substantial changes in the ecosystem and food web structure, particularly regarding the introduction of new predators. Overall, our study highlights that the degree of spatial and structural reorganization of marine life with ensued consequences for ecosystem functionality and conservation efforts will critically depend on the realized greenhouse gas emission pathway.

Description: 1. In a warming world, both the metabolic rates of ectotherm predators and the phenology of their prey organisms is subject to change. Knowledge on how intrinsic and extrinsic factors govern predator-prey interactions is essential in order to understand how the environment regulates the vital rates of consumers. Controlled experiments, however, simultaneously testing behavioural and growth responses of the larvae of fish and other ectotherm organisms in different feeding regimes are scarce. 2. Prey size (PS) selection was determined for young Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus L.) larvae offered 100- to 850-μm copepods (Acartia tonsa) at five different concentrations. In separate, 4- (13°C) or 7-day (7°C) trials, the effect of prey size on larval foraging behaviour, specific growth rate (SGR) and biochemical condition (RNA:DNA, RD, a proxy for individual instantaneous growth) was tested. 3. Preferred (selected) PS was similar at all prey concentrations but increased from 3 to 5% predator length with increasing larval size. At various temperatures, dome-shaped relationships existed between PS and larval RD (and accordingly SGR). Compensatory changes in foraging behaviour (pause and feeding strike frequencies) existed but were not adequate to maintain positive SGR when available prey were substantially smaller than those preferred by larvae. 5. A physiology-based model predicted that larvae depended more heavily on optimal prey sizes at the colder versus warmer temperature to grow well and that the profitable prey niche breadth (the range in prey sizes in which growth was positive) increased at warmer temperatures. 6. Seemingly subtle match-mismatch dynamics between ectotherm predators and their preferred prey size can have large, temperature-dependent consequences for rates of growth and likely survival of the predator. To the best knowledge, this was the first study to directly quantify the “costs and trade-offs” of optimal foraging in marine fish larvae.

Description: Dykes are magma-filled fractures propagating through the brittle crust. Understanding the physics of dyking process is essential to mitigate the volcanic hazard associated with the opening of new eruptive fissures at the surface. Often, physics-based models view either fracturing of the host rock or viscous flow of the magma as the dominating energy sink during dyke propagation. Here, we provide a numerical model that captures the coupling of fracturing at the crack tip and the transport of a viscous fluid. Built with the boundary element technique, our model allows for computation of the shape and velocity of a growing fluid-filled crack accounting for the viscosity of the fluid: The fluid flow induces a viscous pressure drop acting at the crack walls, and modifies the shape of the crack. The energy conservation equation provides the constraints to solve for the crack growth velocity, assuming that brittle fracturing and viscous flow are the main processes that dissipate energy. Using a parameter range that represents typical magmatic intrusions, we obtain crack shapes displaying some typical characteristics, including a tear-drop head and an open tail that depend on rock rigidity, magma viscosity and buoyancy. We show that viscous forces significantly contribute to the energy dissipated during the propagation of magmatic dykes. Applied to the 1998 intrusion at Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion Island), we provide ranges of dyke lengths and openings by adjusting the numerical velocity to the one deduced from the migration of volcano-tectonic events. Key Points We present a new modeling scheme to compute the shape and velocity of a growing fluid-filled crack Our magmatic dykes show a tear drop head and open tail, on a wide range of propagation velocities We reproduce the velocity and fit important parameters for the 1998 Piton de la Fournaise intrusion

Description: Key Points: - A new CHBr3 emission inventory based on natural and anthropogenic sources suggests that the latter account for 12%–28% of the global emissions - In the NH, new anthropogenic estimates increase known natural CHBr3 emissions by up to 70.5%, leading to higher atmospheric CHBr3 levels - At the NH extratropical tropopause, CHBr3 is enhanced by 0.9 ppt Br due to anthropogenic sources thus doubling natural CHBr3 abundances Bromoform (CHBr3) contributes to stratospheric ozone depletion but is not regulated under the Montreal Protocol due to its short lifetime and large natural sources. Here, we show that anthropogenic sources contribute significantly to the amount of CHBr3 transported into the Northern Hemisphere (NH) extratropical stratosphere. We present a new CHBr3 emission inventory comprised of natural and anthropogenic sources, with the latter estimated from ship ballast, power plant cooling and desalination plant brine water. Including anthropogenic sources in the new inventory increases CHBr3 emissions by up to 31.5% globally and 70.5% in the NH. In consequence, atmospheric CHBr3 is also significantly higher, especially over the NH extratropics during boreal winter. Here anthropogenic sources enhance bromine at the tropopause by 0.9 ppt Br, thus doubling natural CHBr3 abundances. For some latitudes, tropopause bromine increases by 2.4 ppt Br suggesting significant contributions of anthropogenic CHBr3 to the NH lowermost stratosphere.

Description: Laser ablation multi-collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) has become a valuable tool for the in situ measurement of the boron isotope composition of geological samples at high (tens to hundreds of μm) spatial resolution. That said, this application suffers from significant analytical challenges. We focus in this study on the underlying processes of two of the main causes for inaccuracies using this technique. We provide empirical evidence that not only Ca ions (Sadekov et al. 2019, Standish et al. 2019, Evans et al. 2019) but also Ar ions, that are reflected within the flight tube of the mass spectrometer, are the source for previously reported issues with spectral baselines. We also address the impact of plasma conditions on the instrumental mass fractionation as a source for matrix- and mass-load-related analytical biases. Comparing experimental data with the results of a dedicated release and diffusion model (RDM) we estimate that a close to complete (~ 97%) release of boron from the sample aerosol is needed to allow for consistently accurate LA boron isotope measurement results without the need for corrections.

Description: Range expansions can lead to increased contact of divergent populations, thus increasing the potential of hybridization events. Whether viable hybrids are produced will most likely depend on the level of genomic divergence and associated genomic incompatibilities between the different entities as well as environmental conditions. By taking advantage of historical Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) otolith samples combined with genotyping and whole genome sequencing, we here investigate the genetic impact of the increased spawning stock biomass of the eastern Baltic cod stock in the mid 1980s. The eastern Baltic cod is genetically highly differentiated from the adjacent western Baltic cod and locally adapted to the brackish environmental conditions in the deeper Eastern basins of the Baltic Sea unsuitable for its marine counterparts. Our genotyping results show an increased proportion of eastern Baltic cod in western Baltic areas (Mecklenburg Bay and Arkona Basin)—indicative of a range expansion westwards—during the peak population abundance in the 1980s. Additionally, we detect high frequencies of potential hybrids (including F1, F2 and backcrosses), verified by whole genome sequencing data for a subset of individuals. Analysis of mitochondrial genomes further indicates directional gene flow from eastern Baltic cod males to western Baltic cod females. Our findings unravel that increased overlap in distribution can promote hybridization between highly divergent populations and that the hybrids can be viable and survive under specific and favourable environmental conditions. However, the observed hybridization had seemingly no long-lasting impact on the continuous separation and genetic differentiation between the unique Baltic cod stocks.

Description: Genome sequencing enables answering fundamental questions about the genetic basis of adaptation, population structure and epigenetic mechanisms. Yet, we usually need a suitable reference genome for mapping population-level resequencing data. In some model systems, multiple reference genomes are available, giving the challenging task of determining which reference genome best suits the data. Here, we compared the use of two different reference genomes for the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), one novel genome derived from a European gynogenetic individual and the published reference genome of a North American individual. Specifically, we investigated the impact of using a local reference versus one generated from a distinct lineage on several common population genomics analyses. Through mapping genome resequencing data of 60 sticklebacks from across Europe and North America, we demonstrate that genetic distance among samples and the reference genomes impacts downstream analyses. Using a local reference genome increased mapping efficiency and genotyping accuracy, effectively retaining more and better data. Despite comparable distributions of the metrics generated across the genome using SNP data (i.e. π, Tajima's D and FST), window-based statistics using different references resulted in different outlier genes and enriched gene functions. A marker-based analysis of DNA methylation distributions had a comparably high overlap in outlier genes and functions, yet with distinct differences depending on the reference genome. Overall, our results highlight how using a local reference genome decreases reference bias to increase confidence in downstream analyses of the data. Such results have significant implications in all reference-genome-based population genomic analyses.

Description: Valdivia Bank (VB) is a Late Cretaceous oceanic plateau formed by volcanism from the Tristan-Gough hotspot at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). To better understand its origin and evolution, magnetic data were used to generate a magnetic anomaly grid, which was inverted to determine crustal magnetization. The magnetization model reveals quasi-linear polarity zones crossing the plateau and following expected MAR paleo-locations, implying formation by seafloor spreading over ∼4 Myr during the formation of anomalies C34n-C33r. Paleomagnetism and biostratigraphy data from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 391 confirm the magnetic interpretation. Anomaly C33r is split into two negative bands, likely by a westward ridge jump. One of these negative anomalies coincides with deep rift valleys, indicating their age and mechanism of formation. These findings imply that VB originated by seafloor spreading-type volcanism during a plate reorganization, not from a vertical stack of lava flows as expected for a large volcano. Key Points - Valdivia Bank is characterized by quasi-linear magnetic anomalies that are parallel to the inferred paleo-Mid-Atlantic Ridge - Magnetic anomalies imply that the plateau becomes younger E-W consistent with formation via seafloor spreading during anomalies C34n-C33r - Rift valleys, division of C33r, and anomaly curvature imply complex ridge tectonics and a ridge jump

Description: The Makassar Strait, the main passageway of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF), is an important component of Indo-Pacific climate through its inter-basin redistribution of heat and freshwater. Observational studies suggest that wind-driven freshwater advection from the marginal seas into the Makassar Strait modulates the strait's surface transport. However, direct observations are too short (〈15 years) to resolve variability on decadal timescales. Here we use a series of global ocean simulations to assess the advected freshwater contributions to ITF transport across a range of timescales. The simulated seasonal and interannual freshwater dynamics are consistent with previous studies. On decadal timescales, we find that wind-driven advection of South China Sea (SCS) waters into the Makassar Strait modulates upper-ocean ITF transport. Atmospheric circulation changes associated with Pacific decadal variability appear to drive this mechanism via Pacific lower-latitude western boundary current interactions that affect the SCS circulation. Key Points: - A global ocean model is used to show how freshwater impacts the decadal variability of transport through the main Indonesian Throughflow pathway - Wind-driven advection of South China Sea freshwater induces an upstream pressure gradient that reduces transport - Freshwater input is modulated by atmospheric circulation changes associated with Pacific decadal variability

Description: The Radiative Forcing Model Intercomparison Project (RFMIP) allows estimates of effective radiative forcing (ERF) in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase six (CMIP6). We analyze the RFMIP output, including the new experiments from models that use the same parameterization for anthropogenic aerosols (RFMIP-SpAer), to characterize and better understand model differences in aerosol ERF. We find little changes in the aerosol ERF for 1970–2014 in the CMIP6 multi-model mean, which implies greenhouse gases primarily explain the positive trend in the total anthropogenic ERF. Cloud-mediated effects dominate the present-day aerosol ERF in most models. The results highlight a regional increase in marine cloudiness due to aerosols, despite suppressed cloud lifetime effects in that RFMIP-SpAer experiment. Negative cloud-mediated effects mask positive direct effects in many models, which arise from strong anthropogenic aerosol absorption. The findings suggest opportunities to better constrain simulated ERF by revisiting the optical properties and long-range transport of aerosols. Key Points: - Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase six (CMIP6) averaged trend in aerosol effective radiative forcing (ERF) is small for 1970–2014 and weakly positive for 2000–2014 - Positive direct aerosol radiative effects in CMIP6 models are associated with strong aerosol absorption - Diverse and often strong cloud-mediated effects primarily determine the magnitude of aerosol ERF in CMIP6

Description: In geoscience and other fields, researchers use models as a simplified representation of reality. The models include processes that often rely on uncertain parameters that reduce model performance in reflecting real-world processes. The problem is commonly addressed by adapting parameter values to reach a good match between model simulations and corresponding observations. Different optimization tools have been successfully applied to address this task of model calibration. However, seeking one best value for every single model parameter might not always be optimal. For example, if model equations integrate over multiple real-world processes which cannot be fully resolved, it might be preferable to consider associated model parameters as random parameters. In this paper, a random parameter is drawn from a wide probability distribution for every singe model simulation. We developed an optimization approach that allows us to declare certain parameters random while optimizing those that are assumed to take fixed values. We designed a corresponding variant of the well known Covariance Matrix Adaption Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES). The new algorithm was applied to a global biogeochemical circulation model to quantify the impact of zooplankton mortality on the underlying biogeochemistry. Compared to the deterministic CMA-ES, our new method converges to a solution that better suits the credible range of the corresponding random parameter with less computational effort.

Description: The oceanic uptake and resulting storage of the anthropogenic CO2 (Cant) that humans have emitted into the atmosphere moderates climate change. Yet our knowledge about how this uptake and storage has progressed in time remained limited. Here, we determine decadal trends in the storage of Cant by applying the eMLR(C*) regression method to ocean interior observations collected repeatedly since the 1990s. We find that the global ocean storage of Cant grew from 1994 to 2004 by 29 ± 3 Pg C dec−1 and from 2004 to 2014 by 27 ± 3 Pg C dec−1 (±1σ). The storage change in the second decade is about 15 ± 11% lower than one would expect from the first decade and assuming proportional increase with atmospheric CO2. We attribute this reduction in sensitivity to a decrease of the ocean buffer capacity and changes in ocean circulation. In the Atlantic Ocean, the maximum storage rate shifted from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere, plausibly caused by a weaker formation rate of North Atlantic Deep Waters and an intensified ventilation of mode and intermediate waters in the Southern Hemisphere. Our estimates of the Cant accumulation differ from cumulative net air-sea flux estimates by several Pg C dec−1, suggesting a substantial and variable, but uncertain net loss of natural carbon from the ocean. Our findings indicate a considerable vulnerability of the ocean carbon sink to climate variability and change. Key Points: - The global ocean storage of anthropogenic carbon grew by 29 ± 3 and 27 ± 3 Pg C dec−1 from 1994 to 2004 and 2004 to 2014, respectively - The change in oceanic storage of anthropogenic carbon relative to the atmospheric CO2 growth decreased by 15 ± 11% from the first to the second decade - This reduction is attributed to a decrease of the ocean buffer capacity and changes in ocean circulation

Description: An increasingly globalised world has facilitated the movement of non-native species (NNS) via the poorly regulated international pet trade. While focus is increasingly being placed on preventative action to combat invasive NNS—often cheaper and less difficult than the management of established populations—successful prevention requires controlling potential pathways and obtaining baseline knowledge of species' availability. Here we performed an in-depth analysis of the freshwater pet trade as one major vector of NNS, compiling its species inventory and deriving threats of NNS release and establishment in the wild. With Germany as our study region, we surveyed pet stores, websites and the country's largest online classified portal, eBay Kleinanzeigen, recording the taxa encountered. For each species, we determined the likelihood of release based on availability and price (cheaper and/or more readily available species have been shown to be of greater risk), and the likelihood of establishment based on ecological niche breadth and niche overlap with environmental conditions in Germany. The survey revealed 669 species, of which 651 were non-native to Germany. Looking at release likelihood, more readily available species in pet stores and on websites proved to be cheaper. For websites, there was a significant effect of occurrence status (i.e. released, not released, native) on price, with released and native species being significantly cheaper. Species previously released in Germany and elsewhere demonstrated greater niche breadths and greater niche overlaps between their source regions and Germany; and for species released in Germany, there was a significantly positive relationship between the magnitude of niche overlap and the number of documented occurrences. Finally, we combined our release and establishment likelihood findings under ‘Release Risk’ metrics to highlight the species most worthy of prioritisation. We propose these metrics as proactive methods for screening species in the trade, which can inform future policy direction and intervention. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Description: Compound‐specific isotope analysis has opened up a new realm for resolving the sources and transformation processes of marine organic matter. However, the stable carbon isotope patterns of amino sugars remain unknown. We examined δ 13 C of amino sugars in marine phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria, and the variations in amino sugar δ 13 C during 66‐d planktonic organic matter degradation experiments, to investigate the metabolic sources and transformations of amino sugars by bacterial reworking. The δ 13 C values of glucosamine (GlcN) and galactosamine (GalN) were comparable in heterotrophic bacteria (difference Δδ 13 C GlcN–GalN = 0.4–4.0‰) but pronouncedly different in phytoplankton (Δδ 13 C GlcN–GalN = 4.3–16.6‰), suggesting similar synthesis pathways of GlcN and GalN in bacteria that differed from phytoplankton. Compared to GlcN and GalN, bacteria preferentially use isotopically light organic compounds for muramic acid (MurA) synthesis. During simulated microbial degradation of organic matter, the δ 13 C difference between GlcN and GalN decreased from 5.8‰ on the initial day to 1‰ at a late stage in the experiment, but the difference between GlcN and MurA remained at 5.3‰. This difference is consistent with the pattern in cultured phytoplankton (average Δδ 13 C GlcN–GalN = 5.9‰ ± 1.4‰) and heterotrophic bacteria (average Δδ 13 C GlcN–MurA = 4.6‰ ± 3.4‰), indicating enhanced bacterial resynthesis as degradation proceeded. Based on the difference in δ 13 C among GlcN, GalN, and MurA, we propose a novel index of variation in amino sugar δ 13 C, representing amino sugar resynthesis, to describe the diagenetic state of organic matter. Together, these findings suggest that amino sugar δ 13 C can be used as a new tool to track heterotrophic processes of marine organic matter.

Description: Marine nitrogen (N2) fixation supports significant primary productivity in the global ocean. However, in one of the most productive regions of the world ocean, the northern Humboldt Upwelling System (HUS), the magnitude and spatial distribution of this process remains poorly characterized. This study presents a spatially resolved dataset of N2 fixation rates across six coastal transects of the northern HUS off Peru (8°S – 16°S) during austral summer. N2 fixation rates were detected throughout the waters column including within the OMZ between 12°S and 16°S. N2 fixation rates were highest where the subsurface Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ, O2 〈20 µmol L-1) was most intense and estimated nitrogen (N) loss was highest. There, rates were measured throughout the water column. Hence the vertical and spatial distribution of rates indicates colocation of N2 fixation with N loss in the coastal productive waters of the northern HUS. Despite high phosphate and total dissolvable iron (TdFe) concentrations throughout the study area, N2 fixation was still generally low (1.19 ± 3.81 nmol L-1 d-1) and its distribution could not be directly explained by these two factors. Our results suggest that the distribution was likely influenced by a complex interplay of environmental factors including phytoplankton biomass and organic matter availability, and potentially iron, or other trace metal (co)-limitation of both N2 fixation and primary production. In general, our results support previous conclusions that N2 fixation in the northern HUS plays a minor role as a source of new N and to replenish the regional N loss. Key Points: A north-to-south pattern in N2 fixation rates was observed implying increased N turnover between 12°S and 16°S where N loss was pronounced Highest N2 fixation rates were measured in coastal productive waters above and within the OMZ, showing no clear relationship with Fe or P The magnitude of N2 fixation was low compared to predictions, estimated to account for ∼0.3% of primary production and 〈2% of local N loss

Description: Understanding individual growth in commercially exploited fish populations is key to successful stock assessment and informed ecosystem-based fisheries management. Traditionally, growth rates in marine fish are estimated using otolith age-readings in combination with age-length relationships from field samples, or tag-recapture field experiments. However, for some species, otolith-based approaches have been proven unreliable and tag-recapture experiments suffer from high working effort and costs as well as low recapture rates. An important alternative approach for estimating fish growth is represented by bioenergetic modelling which in addition to pure growth estimation can provide valuable insights into the processes leading to temporal growth changes resulting from environmental and related behavioural changes. We here developed an individual-based bioenergetic model for Western Baltic cod (Gadus morhua), traditionally a commercially important fish species that however collapsed recently and likely suffers from climate change effects. Western Baltic cod is an ideal case study for bioenergetic modelling because of recently gained in-situ process knowledge on spatial distribution and feeding behaviour based on highly resolved data on stomachs and fish distribution. Additionally, physiological processes such as gastric evacuation, consumption, net-conversion efficiency and metabolic rates have been well studied for cod in laboratory experiments. Our model reliably reproduced seasonal growth patterns observed in the field. Importantly, our bioenergetic modelling approach implementing depth-use patterns and food intake allowed us to explain the potentially detrimental effect summer heat periods have on the growth of Western Baltic cod that likely will increasingly occur in the future. Hence, our model simulations highlighted a potential mechanism on how warming due to climate change affects the growth of a key species that may apply for similar environments elsewhere.

Description: We introduce a new hypothesis concerning the role of internal climate dynamics in the non-linear transitions from interglacial to glacial (IG-G) state since the Mid Pleistocene Transition (MPT). These transitions encompass large and abrupt changes in atmospheric CO2, ice volume, and temperature that we suggest involve critical interactions between insolation and high amplitude oscillations in ocean/atmosphere circulation patterns. Specifically, we highlight the large amplitude of millennial-scale climate oscillations across the transition from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 to 4, which we argue led to amplified cooling of the deep ocean and we demonstrate that analogous episodes of extreme cooling systematically preceded glacial periods of the last 800 kyr. We suggest that such cooling necessitates a reconfiguration of the deep ocean to avoid a density paradox between northern and southern-sourced deep waters (SSW), which could be accomplished by increasing the relative volume and or salinity of SSW, thus providing the necessary storage capacity for the subsequent (delayed) and relatively abrupt drawdown of CO2. We therefore explain the transient decoupling of Antarctic temperature from CO2 across MIS 5/4 as a direct consequence of millennial activity at that time. We further show that similar climatic decoupling typically occurred during times of low obliquity and was a ubiquitous feature of IG-G transitions over the past 800 kyr, producing the appearance of bimodality in records of CO2, benthic δ18O and others. Finally we argue that the apparent lack of bimodality in the pre-MPT record of benthic δ18O implies that the dynamics associated with IG-G transitions changed across the MPT

Description: Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus, 1758), a species complex, consists of several genetic lineages, some of which likely represent reproductively isolated species, including the species Pocillopora acuta Lamarck, 1816. Pocillopora acuta can exhibit similar morphological characteristics as P. damicornis, thus making it difficult to identify species-level taxonomic units. To determine whether the P. damicornis-like colonies on the reefs in the Andaman Sea (previously often identified as P. damicornis) consist of different species, we sampled individual colonies at five sites along a 50 km coastal stretch at Phuket Island and four island sites towards Krabi Province, Thailand. We sequenced 210 coral samples for the mitochondrial open reading frame and identified six distinct haplotypes, all belonging to P. acuta according to the literature. Recently, P. acuta was observed to efficiently recolonize heat-damaged reefs in Thailand as well as globally, making it a potentially important coral species in future reefs. Specifically in the light of global change, this study underscores the importance of high-resolution molecular species recognition, since taxonomic units are important factors for population genetic studies, and the latter are crucial for management and conservation efforts.

Description: The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a key feature of the North Atlantic with global ocean impacts. The AMOC's response to past changes in forcings during the Holocene provides important context for the coming centuries. Here, we investigate AMOC trends using an emerging set of transient simulations using multiple global climate models for the past 6,000 years. Although some models show changes, no consistent trend in overall AMOC strength during the mid-to-late Holocene emerges from the ensemble. We interpret this result to suggest no overall change in AMOC, which fits with our assessment of available proxy reconstructions. The decadal variability of the AMOC does not change in ensemble during the mid- and late-Holocene. There are interesting AMOC changes seen in the early Holocene, but their nature depends a lot on which inputs are used to drive the experiment.

Description: The relevance of considering environmental variability for understanding and predicting biological responses to environmental changes has resulted in a recent surge in variability-focused ecological research. However, integration of findings that emerge across studies and identification of remaining knowledge gaps in aquatic ecosystems remain critical. Here, we address these aspects by: (1) summarizing relevant terms of variability research including the components (characteristics) of variability and key interactions when considering multiple environmental factors; (2) identifying conceptual frameworks for understanding the consequences of environmental variability in single and multifactorial scenarios; (3) highlighting challenges for bridging theoretical and experimental studies involving transitioning from simple to more complex scenarios; (4) proposing improved approaches to overcome current mismatches between theoretical predictions and experimental observations; and (5) providing a guide for designing integrated experiments across multiple scales, degrees of control, and complexity in light of their specific strengths and limitations.

Description: Aim: Invasive alien species are a growing problem worldwide due to their ecological, economic and human health impacts. The “killer shrimp” Dikerogammarus villosus is a notorious invasive alien amphipod from the Ponto-Caspian region that has invaded many fresh and brackish waters across Europe. Understandings of large-scale population dynamics of highly impactful invaders such as D. villosus are lacking, inhibiting predictions of impact and efficient timing of management strategies. Hence, our aim was to assess trends and dynamics of D. villosus as well as its impacts in freshwater rivers and streams. Location: Europe. Methods: We analysed 96 European time series between 1994 and 2019 and identified trends in the relative abundance (i.e. dominance %) of D. villosus in invaded time series, as well as a set of site-specific characteristics to identify drivers and determinants of population changes and invasion dynamics using meta-regression modelling. We also looked at the spread over space and time to estimate the invasion speed (km/year) of D. villosus in Europe. We investigated the impact of D. villosus abundance on recipient community metrics (i.e. abundance, taxa richness, temporal turnover, Shannon diversity and Pielou evenness) using generalized linear models. Results: Population trends varied across the time series. Nevertheless, community dominance of D. villosus increased over time across all time series. The frequency of occurrences (used as a proxy for invader spread) was well described by a Pareto distribution, whereby we estimated a lag phase (i.e. the time between introduction and spatial expansion) of approximately 28 years, followed by a gradual increase before new occurrences declined rapidly in the long term. D. villosus population change was associated with decreased taxa richness, community turnover and Shannon diversity. Main Conclusion: Our results show that D. villosus is well-established in European waters and its abundance significantly alters ecological communities. However, the multidecadal lag phase prior to observed spatial expansion suggests that initial introductions by D. villosus are cryptic, thus signalling the need for more effective early detection methods.

Description: Background: Syngnathids are a highly derived and diverse fish clade comprising the pipefishes, pipe-horses, and seahorses. They are characterized by a plethora of iconic traits that increasingly capture the attention of biologists, including geneticists, ecologists, and developmental biologists. The current understanding of the origins of their derived body plan is, however, hampered by incomplete and limited descriptions of the early syngnathid ontogeny. Results: We provide a comprehensive description of the development of Nerophis ophidion, Syngnathus typhle, and Hippocampus erectus from early cleavage stages to release from the male brooding organ and beyond, including juvenile development. We comparatively describe skeletogenesis with a particular focus on dermal bony plates, the snout-like jaw morphology, and appendages. Conclusions: This most comprehensive and detailed account of syngnathid development to date suggests that convergent phenotypes (e.g., reduction and loss of the caudal fins), likely arose by distinct ontogenetic means in pipefishes and seahorses. Comparison of the ontogenetic trajectories of S. typhle and H. erectus provides indications that characteristic features of the seahorse body plan result from developmental truncation. Altogether, this work provides a valuable resource and framework for future research to understand the evolution of the outlandish syngnathid morphology from a developmental perspective.

Description: We calculate the depth to magnetic basement and the average crustal magnetic susceptibility, which is sensitive to the presence of iron-rich minerals, to interpret the present structure and the tecto-magmatic evolution in the Central Tethyan belt. Our results demonstrate exceptional variability of crustal magnetization with smooth, small-amplitude anomalies in the Gondwana realm and short-wavelength high-amplitude variations in the Laurentia realm. Poor correlation between known ophiolites and magnetization anomalies indicates that Tethyan ophiolites are relatively poorly magnetized, which we explain by demagnetization during recent magmatism. We analyze regional magnetic characteristics for mapping previously unknown oceanic fragments and mafic intrusions, hidden beneath sedimentary sequences or overprinted by tectono-magmatic events. By the style of crustal magnetization, we distinguish three types of basins and demonstrate that many small-size basins host large volumes of magmatic rocks within or below the sedimentary cover. We map the width of magmatic arcs to estimate paleo-subduction dip angle and find no systematic variation between the Neo-Tethys and Paleo-Tethys subduction systems, while the Pontides magmatic arc has shallow (∼15o) dip in the east and steep (∼50-55o) dip in the west. We recognize an unknown, buried 450 km-long magmatic arc along the western margin of the Kırşehir massif formed above steep (55o) subduction. We propose that lithosphere fragmentation associated with Neo-Tethys subduction systems may explain high-amplitude, high-gradient crustal magnetization in the Caucasus Large Igneous Province. Our results challenge conventional regional geological models, such as Neo-Tethyan subduction below the Greater Caucasus, and call for reevaluation of the regional paleotectonics. Key Points: Magnetic regionalization does not fully match regional geological models in the Central Tethyan Belt We identify previously unknown magmatic arcs and ocean relics Magnetization is weak in Gondwana and strong in Laurentia terranes: Kirsehir massif has Laurentia affinity

Description: Offshore meteoric groundwater (OMG) has long been hypothesised to be a driver of seafloor geomorphic processes in continental margins worldwide. Testing this hypothesis has been challenging because of our limited understanding of the distribution and rate of OMG flow and seepage, and their efficacy as erosive/destabilising agents. Here we carry out numerical simulations of groundwater flow and slope stability using conceptual models and evolving stratigraphy - for passive siliciclastic and carbonate margin cases – to assess whether OMG and its evolution during a late Quaternary glacial cycle can generate the pore pressures required to trigger mechanical instabilities on the seafloor. Conceptual model results show that mechanical instabilities by OMG flow are most likely to occur in the outer shelf to upper slope, at or shortly before the Last Glacial Maximum sea level lowstand. Models with evolving stratigraphy show that OMG flow is a key driver of pore pressure development and instability in the carbonate margin case. In the siliciclastic margin case, OMG flow plays a secondary role in preconditioning the slope to failure. The higher degree of spatial/stratigraphic heterogeneity of carbonate margins, lower shear strengths of their sediments, and limited generation of overpressures by sediment loading may explain the higher susceptibility of carbonate margins, in comparison to siliciclastic margins, to mechanical instability by OMG flow. OMG likely played a more significant role in carbonate margin geomorphology (e.g. Bahamas, Maldives) than currently thought. Key Points Offshore meteoric groundwater (OMG) flow can drive mechanical instabilities in the outer shelf to upper slope Such instabilities occur at, or shortly after, the Last Glacial Maximum sea level lowstand Carbonate margins are more susceptible to mechanical instability by OMG than siliciclastic margins

Description: The current narrative of artificial upwelling (AU) is to translocate nutrient rich deep water to the ocean surface, thereby stimulating the biological carbon pump (BCP). Our refined narrative takes the response of the solubility pump and the CO2 emission scenario into account. Using global ocean-atmosphere model experiments we show that the effectiveness of a hypothetical maximum AU deployment in all ocean areas where AU is predicted to lower surface pCO2, the draw down of CO2 from the atmosphere during years 2020–2100 depends strongly on the CO2 emission scenario and ranges from 1.01 Pg C/year (3.70 Pg CO2/year) under RCP 8.5 to 0.32 Pg C/year (1.17 Pg CO2/year) under RCP 2.6. The solubility pump becomes equally effective compared to the BCP under the highest emission scenario (RCP 8.5), but responds with CO2 outgassing under low CO2 emission scenarios. Key Points: - Artificial upwelling (AU) effectiveness to draw down CO2 from the atmosphere is strongly dependent on the future CO2 emission scenario - The solubility pump becomes as effective as the biological carbon pump under high emission scenarios - Organic matter transfer efficiency decreases under AU, likely due to higher water temperatures below the ocean's surface

Description: An insufficient supply of the micronutrient iron (Fe) limits phytoplankton growth across large parts of the ocean. Ambient Fe speciation and solubility are largely dependent on seawater physico-chemical properties. We calculated the apparent Fe solubility (SFe(III)app) at equilibrium for ambient conditions, where SFe(III)app is defined as the sum of aqueous inorganic Fe(III) species and Fe(III) bound to organic matter formed at a free Fe3+ concentration equal to the solubility of Fe hydroxide. We compared the SFe(III)app to measured dissolved Fe (dFe) in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The SFe(III)app was overall ∼2 to 4-fold higher than observed dFe at depths less than 1000 m, ∼2-fold higher than the dFe between 1000-4000 m and ∼3-fold higher than dFe below 4000 m. Within the range of used parameters, our results showed that there was a similar trend in the vertical distributions of horizontally averaged SFe(III)app and dFe. Our results suggest that vertical dFe distributions are underpinned by changes in SFe(III)app which are driven by relative changes in ambient pH and temperature. Since both pH and temperature are essential parameters controlling ambient Fe speciation, these should be accounted for in investigations of changing Fe dynamics, particularly in the context of ocean acidification and warming. Key Points Apparent iron solubility is driven by ambient pH, temperature (T) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and showed a 6-fold variation between surface (pH= 8.05 on the total scale, DOC= 71.8 µmol L-1, T= 20.4 °C) and deep oceanic waters (pH= 7.82, DOC= 38.6 µmol L-1, T= 1.1°C). Higher values of apparent iron solubility were determined for deep Atlantic and Pacific waters, with lower values in subtropical gyres. Calculated apparent iron solubility showed a similar trend in vertical distribution to dissolved iron, highlighting the importance of considering the impact of changes in ambient physico-chemical conditions on seawater iron chemistry.

Description: The correlation between concentrations of dissolved barium (dBa) and silicon (dSi) in the modern ocean supports the use of Ba as a paleoceanographic proxy. However, the mechanisms behind their linkage and the exact processes controlling oceanic Ba cycling remain enigmatic. To discern the extent to which this association arises from biogeochemical processes versus physical mixing, we examine the behavior of Ba and Si at the Congo River-dominated Southeast Atlantic margin where active biological processes and large boundary inputs override the large-scale ocean circulation. Here we present the first combined measurements of dissolved stable Ba (δ138Ba) and Si (δ30Si) isotopes as well as Ba and Si fluxes estimated based on 228Ra from the Congo River mouth to the northern Angola Basin. In the surface waters, river-borne particle desorption or dissolution and shelf inputs lead to non-conservative additions of both dBa and dSi to the Congo-shelf-zone, with the Ba flux increasing more strongly than that of Si across the shelf. In the epipelagic and mesopelagic layers, Ba and Si are decoupled likely due to different depths of in situ barite precipitation and biogenic silica production. In the deep waters of the northern Angola Basin, we observe large enrichment of dBa, likely originating from high benthic inputs from the Congo deep-sea fan sediments. Our results reveal different mechanisms controlling the biogeochemical cycling of Ba and Si and highlight a strong margin influence on marine Ba cycling. Their close association across the global ocean must therefore mainly be a consequence of the large-scale ocean circulation. Key Points Stronger enrichment of dissolved barium (dBa) than silicon (dSi) observed in the shelf-zone of the Congo plume Diatom silica production has negligible effect on dissolved Ba isotopic compositions in large river plumes Strong dBa enrichment (up to 24 nM) in the deep water of the northern Angola Basin likely originates from high benthic inputs

Description: Aquaculture has been one of the fastest-growing food production systems sectors for over three decades. With its growth, the demand for alternative, cheaper and high-quality feed ingredients is also increasing. Innovation investments on providing new functional feed alternatives have yielded several viable alternative raw materials. Considering all the current feed ingredients, their circular adaption in the aquafeed manufacturing industry is clearly of the utmost importance to achieve sustainable aquaculture in the near future. The use of terrestrial plant materials and animal by-products predominantly used in aquafeed ingredients puts a heavily reliance on terrestrial agroecosystems, which also has its own sustainability concerns. Therefore, the aquafeed industry needs to progress with functional and sustainable alternative raw materials for feed that must be more resilient and consistent, considering a circular perspective. In this review, we assess the current trends in using various marine organisms, ranging from microorganisms (including fungi, thraustochytrids, microalgae and bacteria) to macroalgae and macroinvertebrates as viable biological feed resources. This review focuses on the trend of circular use of resources and the development of new value chains. In this, we present a perspective of promoting novel circular economy value chains that promote the re-use of biological resources as valuable feed ingredients. Thus, we highlight some potentially important marine-derived resources that deserve further investigations for improving or addressing circular aquaculture.

Description: Invasive species can successfully and rapidly colonize new niches and expand ranges via founder effects and enhanced tolerance towards environmental stresses. However, the underpinning molecular mechanisms (i.e., gene expression changes) facilitating rapid adaptation to harsh environments are still poorly understood. The red seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla, which is native to the northwest Pacific but invaded North American and European coastal habitats over the last 100 years, provides an excellent model to examine whether enhanced tolerance at the level of gene expression contributed to its invasion success. We collected G. vermiculophylla from its native range in Japan and from two non-native regions along the Delmarva Peninsula (Eastern United States) and in Germany. Thalli were reared in a common garden for 4 months at which time we performed comparative transcriptome (mRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) sequencing. MRNA-expression profiling identified 59 genes that were differently expressed between native and non-native thalli. Of these genes, most were involved in metabolic pathways, including photosynthesis, abiotic stress, and biosynthesis of products and hormones in all four non-native sites. MiRNA-based target-gene correlation analysis in native/non-native pairs revealed that some target genes are positively or negatively regulated via epigenetic mechanisms. Importantly, these genes are mostly associated with metabolism and defence capability (e.g., metal transporter Nramp5, senescence-associated protein, cell wall-associated hydrolase, ycf68 protein and cytochrome P450-like TBP). Thus, our gene expression results indicate that resource reallocation to metabolic processes is most likely a predominant mechanism contributing to the range-wide persistence and adaptation of G. vermiculophylla in the invaded range. This study, therefore, provides molecular insight into the speed and nature of invasion-mediated rapid adaption.

Description: Clonal reproduction, the formation of nearly identical individuals via mitosis in the absence of genetic recombination, is a very common reproductive mode across plants, fungi and animals. To detect clonal genetic structure, genetic similarity indices based on shared alleles are widely used, such as the Jaccard index, or identity by state. Here we propose a new pairwise genetic similarity index, the SH index, based on segregating genetic marker loci (typically single nucleotide polymorphisms) that are identically heterozygous for pairs of samples (NSH). To test our method, we analyse two old seagrass clones (Posidonia australis, estimated to be around 8500 years old; Zostera marina, 〉750 years old) along with two young Z. marina clones of known age (17 years old). We show that focusing on shared heterozygosity amplifies the power to distinguish sample pairs belonging to different clones compared to methods focusing on all shared alleles. Our proposed workflow can successfully detect clonemates at a location dominated by a single clone. When the collected samples involve two or more clones, the SH index shows a clear gap between clonemate pairs and interclone sample pairs. Ideally NSH should be on the order of approximately ≥3000, a number easily achievable via restriction-site associated DNA (RAD) sequencing or whole-genome resequencing. Another potential application of the SH index is to detect possible parent–descendant pairs under selfing. Our proposed workflow takes advantage of the availability of the larger number of genetic markers in the genomic era, and improves the ability to distinguish clonemates from nonclonemates in multicellular diploid clonal species.

Description: Evolutionary novelties—derived traits without clear homology found in the ancestors of a lineage—may promote ecological specialization and facilitate adaptive radiations. Examples for such novelties include the wings of bats, pharyngeal jaws of cichlids and flowers of angiosperms. Belonoid fishes (flying fishes, halfbeaks and needlefishes) feature an astonishing diversity of extremely elongated jaw phenotypes with undetermined evolutionary origins. We investigate the development of elongated jaws in a halfbeak (Dermogenys pusilla) and a needlefish (Xenentodon cancila) using morphometrics, transcriptomics and in situ hybridization. We confirm that these fishes' elongated jaws are composed of distinct base and novel ‘extension’ portions. These extensions are morphologically unique to belonoids, and we describe the growth dynamics of both bases and extensions throughout early development in both studied species. From transcriptomic profiling, we deduce that jaw extension outgrowth is guided by populations of multipotent cells originating from the anterior tip of the dentary. These cells are shielded from differentiation, but proliferate and migrate anteriorly during the extension's allometric growth phase. Cells left behind at the tip leave the shielded zone and undergo differentiation into osteoblast-like cells, which deposit extracellular matrix with both bone and cartilage characteristics that mineralizes and thereby provides rigidity. Such bone has characteristics akin to histological observations on the elongated ‘kype’ process on lower jaws of male salmon, which may hint at common conserved regulatory underpinnings. Future studies will evaluate the molecular pathways that govern the anterior migration and proliferation of these multipotent cells underlying the belonoids' evolutionary novel jaw extensions.

Description: Foraging is a behavioural process and, therefore, individual behaviour and diet are theorized to covary. However, few comparisons of individual behaviour type and diet exist in the wild. We tested whether behaviour type and diet covary in a protected population of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua. Working in a no-take marine reserve, we could collect data on natural behavioural variation and diet choice with minimal anthropogenic disturbance. We inferred behaviour using acoustic telemetry and diet from stable isotope compositions (expressed as δ13C and δ15N values). We further investigated whether behaviour and diet could have survival costs. We found cod with shorter diel vertical migration distances fed at higher trophic levels. Cod δ13C and δ15N values scaled positively with body size. Neither behaviour nor diet predicted survival, indicating phenotypic diversity is maintained without survival costs for cod in a protected ecosystem. The links between diet and diel vertical migration highlight that future work is needed to understand whether the shifts in this behaviour during environmental change (e.g. fishing or climate), could lead to trophic cascades.

Description: This contribution to the RECCAP2 (REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes) assessment analyzes the processes that determine the global ocean carbon sink, and its trends and variability over the period 1985-2018, using a combination of models and observation-based products. The mean sea-air CO2 flux from 1985 to 2018 is -1.6 +/- 0.2 PgC yr(-1) based on an ensemble of reconstructions of the history of sea surface pCO(2) (pCO(2) products). Models indicate that the dominant component of this flux is the net oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2, which is estimated at -2.1 +/- 0.3 PgC yr(-1) by an ensemble of ocean biogeochemical models, and -2.4 +/- 0.1 PgC yr(-1) by two ocean circulation inverse models. The ocean also degasses about 0.65 +/- 0.3 PgC yr(-1) of terrestrially derived CO2, but this process is not fully resolved by any of the models used here. From 2001 to 2018, the pCO2 products reconstruct a trend in the ocean carbon sink of -0.61 +/- 0.12 PgC yr(-1) decade(-1), while biogeochemical models and inverse models diagnose an anthropogenic CO2-driven trend of -0.34 +/- 0.06 and -0.41 +/- 0.03 PgC yr(-1) decade(-1), respectively. This implies a climate-forced acceleration of the ocean carbon sink in recent decades, but there are still large uncertainties on the magnitude and cause of this trend. The interannual to decadal variability of the global carbon sink is mainly driven by climate variability, with the climate-driven variability exceeding the CO2-forced variability by 2-3 times. These results suggest that anthropogenic CO2 dominates the ocean CO2 sink, while climate-driven variability is potentially large but highly uncertain and not consistently captured across different methods.

Description: Geochemical analyses of trace elements in the ocean water column have suggested that pelagic clay‐rich sediments are a major source of various elements to bottom‐waters. However, corresponding high‐quality measurements of trace element concentrations in porewaters of pelagic clay‐rich sediments are scarce, making it difficult to evaluate the contributions from benthic processes to global oceanic cycles of trace elements. To bridge this gap, we analyzed porewater and bulk sediment concentrations of vanadium, chromium, cobalt, nickel, copper, arsenic, molybdenum, barium and uranium, as well as concentrations of the major oxidants nitrate, manganese, iron, and sulfate in the top 30 cm of cores collected along a transect from Hawaii to Alaska. The data show large increases in porewater concentrations of vanadium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, and arsenic within the top cm of the sediment, consistent with the release of these elements from remineralized organic matter. The sediments are a sink for sulfate, uranium, and molybdenum, even though conditions within the sampled top 30 cm remain aerobic. Porewater chromium concentrations generally increase with depth due to release from sediment particles. Extrapolated to the global aerial extent of pelagic clay sediment, the benthic fluxes in mol yr −1 are Ba 3.9 ± 3.6 × 10 9 , Mn 3.4 ± 3.5 × 10 8 , Co 2.6 ± 1.3 × 10 7 , Ni 9.6 ± 8.6 × 10 8 , Cu 4.6 ± 2.4 × 10 9 , Cr 1.7 ± 1.1 × 10 8 , As 6.1 ± 7.0 × 10 8 , V 6.0 ± 2.5 × 10 9 . With the exception of vanadium, calculated fluxes across the sediment–water interface are consistent with the variability in bottom‐water concentrations and ocean residence time of the studied elements.

Description: In regions of the nitrogen limited low latitude ocean, phosphate can also be depleted to levels initiating stress responses in marine microbes. Here, we associate a broad region of phosphate depletion in the subtropical North Pacific with different levels of phosphorus stress. Nutrient and aerosol addition experiments demonstrated primary nitrogen limitation of the bulk phytoplankton community, with supply of aerosols relieving this limitation. At northern sites with depleted phosphate, alkaline phosphatase activities were enhanced, indicating elevated phosphorus stress. Analysis of satellite- and model-derived aerosol loading showed that aerosol deposition was elevated in these regions. Surface rate measurements suggested that the regional enhancement in phosphate depletion was predominantly driven by elevated nitrogen fixation, likely stimulated by the coincident supply of aerosol iron. Such observations are important for predicting future biogeochemical responses in the subtropical North Pacific to changing aerosol supply.

Description: Methane (CH4) is a climate-relevant trace gas that is emitted from the open and coastal oceans in considerable amounts. However, its distribution in remote oceanic areas is largely unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, dissolved CH4 was measured at nine stations at 75°S in the Ross Sea during austral summer in January 2020. CH4 undersaturation (mean: 82 ± 20%) was found throughout the water column. In subsurface waters, the distribution of CH4 mainly resulted from mixing of water masses and in situ consumption, whereas the CH4 concentrations in the surface mixed layer were mainly driven by air–sea exchange and diapycnal diffusion between the surface and subsurface layers, as well as consumption of CH4. With a mean air–sea CH4 flux density of −0.44 ± 0.34 μmol m−2 d−1, the Ross Sea was a substantial sink for atmospheric CH4 during austral summer, which is in contrast with most oceanic regions, which are known sources.

Description: Selection along environmental gradients can drive reproductive isolation and speciation. Among fishes, salinity is a major factor limiting species distributions, and despite its importance in generating species diversity, speciation events between marine and freshwater are rare. Here, we tested for mechanisms of reproductive isolation between locally adapted freshwater and brackish water-native populations of killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, from either side of a hybrid zone along a salinity gradient. There was evidence for pre-zygotic endogenous reproductive isolation with reduced fertilization success between crosses of freshwater-native males and brackish water-native females. Exogenous pre-zygotic isolation was also present where females had highest fertilization in their native salinity. We used a replicated mass spawning design to test for mate choice in both brackish and fresh water. After genotyping 187 parents and 2523 offspring at 2347 SNPs across the genome, 85% of offspring were successfully assign to their parents. However, no reinforcing mate choice was observed. These results therefore demonstrate emerging, yet limited, reproductive isolation and incipient speciation across a marine to freshwater salinity gradient and suggest that both endogenous and exogenous mechanisms, but not assortative mating, contribute to divergence.

Description: The additional water from the Antarctic ice sheet and ice shelves due to climate‐induced melt can impact ocean circulation and global climate. However, the major processes driving melt are not adequately represented in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) models. Here, we analyze a novel multi‐model ensemble of CMIP6 models with consistent meltwater addition to examine the robustness of the modeled response to meltwater, which has not been possible in previous single‐model studies. Antarctic meltwater addition induces a substantial weakening of open‐ocean deep convection. Additionally, Antarctic Bottom Water warms, its volume contracts, and the sea surface cools. However, the magnitude of the reduction varies greatly across models, with differing anomalies correlated with their respective mean‐state climatology, indicating the state‐dependency of the climate response to meltwater. A better representation of the Southern Ocean mean state is necessary for narrowing the inter‐model spread of response to Antarctic meltwater. Plain Language Summary The melting of the Antarctic ice sheet and ice shelves can have significant impacts on ocean circulation and thermal structure, but current climate models do not fully capture these effects. In this study, we analyze seven climate models to understand how they respond to the addition of meltwater from Antarctica. We find that the presence of Antarctic meltwater leads to a significant weakening of deep convection in the open ocean. The meltwater also causes Antarctic Bottom Water to warm and its volume to decrease, while the sea surface cools and sea ice expands. However, the magnitude of the response to meltwater varies across models, suggesting that the mean‐state conditions of the Southern Ocean play a role. A better representation of the mean state and the inclusion of Antarctic meltwater in climate models will help reduce uncertainties and improve our understanding of the impact of Antarctic meltwater on climate. Key Points Antarctic meltwater substantially reduces the strength of simulated Southern Ocean deep convection in climate models The additional meltwater induces Antarctic Bottom Water warming and contraction, with dense water classes converting to lighter ones Differences in the magnitude of these responses between models can be partly attributed to their different base states

Description: The Java ‐ Lesser Sunda margin, which features multi‐scale subducting oceanic basement relief, is classified as neutral (Lombok and Sumbawa) to erosional (Central Java to Bali) in comparison to its accretionary counterpart offshore Sumatra. However, a comprehensive analysis of how plate boundary and upper plate structure across the neutral to erosional transition are modulated by the subduction of oceanic basement relief is lacking to date. To shed light on the tectonic parameters that push the margin into the neutral or erosional domain, we combine multi‐channel reflection seismic images derived through a grid‐based P‐wave velocity inversion, and multibeam bathymetric maps. The data document how different scales of subducting topography modify seafloor morphology, upper plate structure, and décollement position. Large‐scale subducting features cause a landward shift of the deformation front, shortening of the accretionary wedge, and seafloor steepening at the relief's trailing edge. Small‐scale subducting ridges primarily impact the frontal prism resulting in over‐steepening at the trench and localized slope failure. Ahead of subducting relief, deformation of the accretionary wedge encompasses enhanced compression and a reduction in seafloor slope but appears independent of the size of the relief. Ridge and seamount subduction induce frontal erosion and basal erosion offshore Lombok and Bali, respectively. Our P‐wave velocity models indicate that the rigidity of the upper plate's base along the eastern Sunda margin is significantly lower than the worldwide trend. We conclude that this favors the genesis of tsunami earthquakes that have occurred on the Java margin. Plain Language Summary The convergence of the tectonic plates drives a wide variety of geological processes along the plate margins, including the formation of the forearc accretionary wedge, volcanic activities, and megathrust earthquakes. Over the past 40 years, marine research shows that different sizes of oceanic reliefs (seamounts and ridges) are widely distributed over the seafloor, approaching the trench, and eventually subducted underneath the overriding plate. An accurate observation of the subducted reliefs and their tectonic impact on the overriding plate depends on different observation approaches, data processing methods, and the evolutionary history of the forearc. In the Java margin, the oceanic seafloor features massive seamounts with different scales and shapes, and the bathymetry of the overriding plate is highly disturbed. This provides us with the best opportunity of studying the rugged seafloor's seismogenic and geological impacts. By using state‐of‐the‐art seismic imaging techniques, we image the subsurface structures, obtain the forearc velocity, identify the seamounts, and discuss the seamounts' effect on structural deformation and megathrust earthquake occurrence. Distinctively, the marine forearc gets shortened and thickened significantly by seamount subduction. Structural images sharply illustrate different deformation patterns and stress regimes at the seamount's different flanks and reveal the possible process of subduction erosion. Key Points Upper plate deformation scales with variable subducting relief, as observed along the Java Trench in seismic sections and bathymetry Subduction of seafloor topography induces progression from an accretion‐dominated domain toward a phase of subduction erosion The overall low rigidity of the upper plate's base may contribute to the Java margin earthquake's tsunami‐genesis

Description: Accurately predicting future ocean acidification (OA) conditions is crucial for advancing OA research at regional and global scales, and guiding society's mitigation and adaptation efforts. This study presents a new model-data fusion product covering 10 global surface OA indicators based on 14 Earth System Models (ESMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6), along with three recent observational ocean carbon data products. The indicators include fugacity of carbon dioxide, pH on total scale, total hydrogen ion content, free hydrogen ion content, carbonate ion content, aragonite saturation state, calcite saturation state, Revelle Factor, total dissolved inorganic carbon content, and total alkalinity content. The evolution of these OA indicators is presented on a global surface ocean 1° × 1° grid as decadal averages every 10 years from preindustrial conditions (1750), through historical conditions (1850–2010), and to five future Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (2020–2100): SSP1-1.9, SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5. These OA trajectories represent an improvement over previous OA data products with respect to data quantity, spatial and temporal coverage, diversity of the underlying data and model simulations, and the provided SSPs. The generated data product offers a state-of-the-art research and management tool for the 21st century under the combined stressors of global climate change and ocean acidification. The gridded data product is available in NetCDF at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/ncei/ocads/metadata/0259391.html, and global maps of these indicators are available in jpeg at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/ocean-carbon-acidification-data-system/synthesis/surface-oa-indicators.html. Key Points: - This study presents the evolution of 10 ocean acidification (OA) indicators in the global surface ocean from 1750 to 2100 - By leveraging 14 Earth System Models (ESMs) and the latest observational data, it represents a significant advancement in OA projections - This inter-model comparison effort showcases the overall agreements among different ESMs in projecting surface ocean carbon variables

Description: We evaluate the decadal evolution of ventilation and anthropogenic carbon (C-ant) in the Nordic Seas between 1982 and the 2010s. Ventilation changes on decadal timescale are identified by evaluating decadal changes in mean ages and apparent oxygen utilization in each of the four main basins of the Nordic Seas (the Greenland and Iceland Seas, and the Norwegian and Lofoten Basins). The ages are derived from the transient time distribution approach, based on the transient tracers chlorofluorocarbon-12 (CFC-12) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The different decades show different phases in ventilation, with the 2000s being overall better ventilated than the 1990s in all basins. For the Greenland Sea, we also show that the 2010s are better ventilated than the 2000s, with a clear shift in hydrographic properties. The evolution of concentrations and inventory of C-ant is linked to the ventilation state. The deep waters get progressively older over the analyzed period, which is connected to the increased fraction of deep water from the Arctic Ocean.Plain Language Summary The ocean region between Greenland, Iceland, and Norway, called the Nordic Seas, is a main site of deep-water formation. This process produces dense waters and brings surface waters to larger depths, thereby ventilating the water below. This transports, among other things, man-made CO2 (anthropogenic carbon; C-ant) and oxygen from the atmosphere into the interior ocean, thereby reducing the amount of CO2 stored in the atmosphere. This study investigates how the ventilation has changed in the Nordic Seas from 1982 to the 2010s. We find that the ventilation has changed with time, from a rather well-ventilated state in 1982, to a reduced ventilation in the 1990s, and then a restrengthened ventilation from the 2000s.

Description: We present the first observational evidence for convectively generated cold pools (CP) as driving mechanism for low-level jets (LLJ). Our findings are based on a unique campaign data set that allowed us to perform a systematic assessment of the process. During the three-month campaign in Germany, 6.8% of all identified LLJ profiles were connected to a CP (CPLLJ). Most measured CPLLJs appeared with the CP front and lasted for up to two hours. Moreover, we have observed a CP favoring the formation of a several-hours long LLJ. In that case, a strong LLJ and cooling of the atmosphere between the surface and at least 400 m a.g.l. were seen when the density current reached the measurement site. The development led to the formation of a near-surface temperature inversion during daytime as a prerequisite for the LLJ, not unlike the mechanism of nocturnal LLJs. Key Points: - Observed low-level jets connected to convective cold pools were about 7% of all jet profiles during summer campaign in Germany - Convective cold pools favored reduced frictional coupling of the wind field as a prerequisite for generating low-level jets during daytime - Low-level jets connected to convective cold pools were on average weaker but gustier than nocturnal jets

Description: We deployed a dense geodetic and seismological network in the Atacama seismic gap in Chile. We derive a microseismicity catalog of 〉30,000 events, time series from 70 GNSS stations, and apply a transdimensional Bayesian inversion to estimate interplate locking degree. We identify two highly locked regions of different sizes whose geometries appear to control seismicity patterns. Interface seismicity concentrates beneath the coastline just downdip of the highest locking. A region of lower interplate locking around 27.5ºS coincides with higher seismicity levels, a high number of repeating earthquakes and events extending further towards the trench. Having shown numerous signs of aseismic deformation (slow-slip events and earthquake swarms), this area is situated where the Copiapó Ridge is subducted. While these findings suggest that the structure of the downgoing oceanic plate prescribes patterns of interplate locking and seismicity, we note that the Taltal Ridge further north lacks a similar signature.