Article
Biology
Lisette Zenteno-Devaud, Gabriela Aguirre-Martinez, Claudia Andrade, Leyla Cardenas, Luis Miguel Pardo, Humberto E. Gonzalez, Ignacio Garrido
Summary: This study investigated the diet of Odontaster validus from three different environments in the northern Antarctic Peninsula using a multifaceted approach. The results showed that O. validus exhibited habitat-specific foraging behavior and could switch resource utilization across different habitats, which is an important survival strategy in the face of environmental change. Therefore, when studying the spatial structure and response to disturbance of Antarctic benthic communities, it is important to assess potential dietary shifts in different habitats.
Review
Oceanography
Ribanna Dittrich, Sian F. Henley, Hugh W. Ducklow, Michael P. Meredith
Summary: The cycling of dissolved organic matter in the productive west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) region is not well understood. This study collected biogeochemical measurements along the WAP shelf and found that concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in the upper ocean were lower than in lower latitudes. High variability of DON and intense nitrification were observed, suggesting intense upper ocean cycling of organic matter. Samples from glacial melt areas showed increased DON concentrations, indicating that warming and melting of Antarctic glaciers may lead to higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter.
PROGRESS IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ricardo S. Matias, Hugo R. Guimaro, Paco Bustamante, Jose Seco, Nesho Chipev, Joana Fragao, Silvia Tavares, Filipe R. Ceia, Maria E. Pereira, Andres Barbosa, Jose C. Xavier
Summary: Under the context of climate change, warming Southern Ocean waters may lead to increased bioavailability of mercury (Hg) in the Antarctic marine food web. This study examined the biomagnification of Hg in the food web of the Antarctic Peninsula and found that Hg concentrations increased with trophic levels. These results suggest that trophic interaction is the major pathway for Hg biomagnification in Southern Ocean ecosystems.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. Mar Flexas, Andrew F. Thompson, Michael P. Schodlok, Hong Zhang, Kevin Speer
Summary: The observed acceleration of ice shelf basal melt rates throughout West Antarctica could destabilize continental ice sheets and markedly increase global sea level. Explanations for decadal-scale melt intensification have focused on processes local to shelf seas surrounding the ice shelves. A suite of process-based model experiments, guided by CMIP6 forcing scenarios, show that freshwater forcing from the Antarctic Peninsula, propagated between marginal seas by a coastal boundary current, causes enhanced melting throughout West Antarctica.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fernanda Vianna-Gatts, Gleici Montanini, Alexandre F. Azevedo, Jose Lailson-Brito, Tatiana L. Bisi
Summary: This study compared and analyzed the stable isotope variations among the liver, muscle, and skin of Guiana dolphins. The findings suggest that skin and muscle may have equivalent values in 613C for Guiana dolphins.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Carlos Angulo-Preckler, Marta Turon, Kim Praebel, Conxita Avila, Owen S. Wangensteen
Summary: This study examined the molecular eukaryotic biodiversity patterns in shallow hard-bottom Antarctic benthic communities using community DNA metabarcoding. Polar ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change and benthic macroinvertebrate communities have shown rapid responses to various pressures. However, there is limited knowledge about the biodiversity of Antarctic benthos associated with hard-bottom habitats.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Limnology
Schuyler C. Nardelli, Patrick C. Gray, Sharon E. Stammerjohn, Oscar Schofield
Summary: The study focuses on the impact of changing sea ice seasons and meteoric water on phytoplankton community composition and cell size in coastal West Antarctic Peninsula waters. The research reveals that the variations in sea ice seasons have a significant effect on phytoplankton biomass and species composition, while cell diameter changes are related to precipitation. The tight coupling between sea ice, meltwater, and phytoplankton species composition suggests that continued warming in the area will have implications for seasonal dynamics in the ecosystem.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Graciele Cunha Alves de Menezes, Paulo E. A. S. Camara, Otavio Henrique Bezerra Pinto, Peter Convey, Micheline Carvalho-Silva, Jefferson Cardia Simoes, Carlos Augusto Rosa, Luiz Henrique Rosa
Summary: Fungal diversity in the glacial ice of the Antarctic Peninsula was analyzed using DNA metabarcoding through high-throughput sequencing (HTS). The study identified a wide range of fungal taxa, with Ascomycota and Basidiomycota being the most dominant phyla present in the samples. Penicillium and Cladosporium were among the most common genera detected.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eduardo Santamaria-del-Angel, Mary-Luz Canon-Paez, Maria-Teresa Sebastia-Frasquet, Adriana Gonzalez-Silvera, Angelica-L. Gutierrez, Jesus-A. Aguilar-Maldonado, Jorge Lopez-Calderon, Victor Camacho-Ibar, Andres Franco-Herrera, Alejandra Castillo-Ramirez
Summary: This study aimed to describe interannual climate variability in the West Antarctic Peninsula, finding a pattern of warm followed by cold episodes and the presence of warm waters near the coast during warm episodes. The WAP can be divided into two ecoregions, and the Southern Annular Mode was identified as the primary driver of SST variability. Further research is needed to better understand regional climate variability in the WAP and its relation with SAM and ENSO.
Article
Ecology
Amandine J. M. Sabadel, Colin D. MacLeod
Summary: Stable isotopes have been used to characterize host-parasite trophic relationships, revealing parasites being N-15 enriched compared to hosts, with their δN-15 values strongly related to feeding behaviors. Broader sample inclusion helped to understand metabolic mechanisms, while carbon stable isotope values and C:N ratios identified lipid requirement of trematode parasites. Parasitic infections should not be ignored as they influence host trophic position significantly, and focusing on specific host and parasite groups reduces variation seen in broader isotope studies.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Benjamin J. Wallis, Anna E. Hogg, J. Melchior van Wessem, Benjamin J. Davison, Michiel R. van den Broeke
Summary: An analysis of satellite observations from 2014 to 2021 reveals that glaciers on the west Antarctic Peninsula experienced an average summer speed-up of 12.4% and a maximum speed change of 22.3%. This indicates a strong sensitivity of these glaciers to seasonal variations in the ice-ocean-atmosphere system, emphasizing the importance of accounting for seasonal speed variations when assessing the mass balance and sea level contribution of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Article
Engineering, Marine
In-Young Ahn, Francyne Elias-Piera, Sun-Yong Ha, Sergio Rossi, Dong-U Kim
Summary: The amphipod Gondogeneia antarctica is a key food web species along the rapidly warming West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), relying primarily on food sources derived from benthic primary producers throughout much of the year. Seasonal dietary shifts were observed, with a substantial contribution of red algae in spring-summer and benthic diatoms and detritus in fall-winter. The isotopic and fatty acid analysis provided insights into the trophic strategy of G. antarctica in dealing with extreme seasonality in Antarctic marine primary production.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Limnology
Michael S. Brown, Jeff S. Bowman, Yajuan Lin, Colette J. Feehan, Carly M. Moreno, Nicolas Cassar, Adrian Marchetti, Oscar M. Schofield
Summary: The West Antarctic Peninsula is experiencing rapid warming and melting, impacting the regional marine food web. This study focused on cryptophyte diversity along the Peninsula, revealing two major taxa dominating the community. Changes in oceanographic conditions were associated with shifts in cryptophyte community composition.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gustavo Chiang, Karen A. Kidd, Mauricio Diaz-Jaramillo, Winfred Espejo, Paulina Bahamonde, Nelson J. O'Driscoll, Kelly R. Munkittrick
Summary: This study found that both the composition of the food web and the proximity to freshwater outflows are key factors influencing the trophic magnification slopes for methylmercury in Patagonian and Antarctic food webs.
Article
Microbiology
Jean-David Grattepanche, Wade H. Jeffrey, Rebecca J. Gast, Robert W. Sanders
Summary: During a cruise along the West Antarctic Peninsula, the diversity and composition of microbial eukaryotic communities were studied. The communities and environmental parameters displayed latitudinal gradients. Autotrophic microplankton, mainly diatoms, dominated the communities, while mixotrophs were the most abundant in the nano- and picoplankton communities. The study also found significant relationships between certain lineages and ice coverage and temperature. This suggests that climate changes will have a strong impact on the microbial eukaryotic community.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Gladys Ludevese-Pascual, Farhana Ahmed, Marleen De Troch, Edgar Amar, Joseph Leopoldo Laranja, Samuel Bode, Pascal Boeckx, Peter Bossier, Peter De Schryver
Summary: The study demonstrated the fate of the bacterial storage compound poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) in crustaceans, showing that C-13 signal may partly come from the structural components of bacterial cell. There was lower C-13 enrichment in various lipid fractions of the postlarvae compared to the diet, indicating potential of PHB as an energy source rather than a building block. Rapid assimilation of PHB in crustacean tissues was observed, suggesting its role as an energy source.
JOURNAL OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Lillian Nduku Daudi, Jacqueline Nduku Uku, Marleen De Troch
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gaston Alurralde, Veronica L. Fuentes, Marleen De Troch, Marcos Tatian
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
I Loaiza, M. De Troch, G. De Boeck
Article
Biology
Jens Boyen, Patrick Fink, Christoph Mensens, Pascal Habluetzel, Marleen De Troche
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mateja Grego, Alenka Malej, Marleen De Troch
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Fisheries
Gladys Ludevese-Pascual, Joseph Leopoldo Laranja, Farhana Ahmed, Edgar Amar, Marleen De Troch, Peter Bossier, Peter De Schryver
AQUACULTURE NUTRITION
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Florencia de la Rosa, Marleen De Troch, Gabriela Malanga, Marcelo Hernando
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY C-TOXICOLOGY & PHARMACOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Claudia Sbrocca, Marleen De Troch, Valentina Losi, Eleonora Grassi, Maria Balsamo, Federica Semprucci
Summary: In rocky shore systems, sessile macrobenthic assemblages play a significant role as ecosystem engineers for various benthic organisms, affecting the diversity and structure of harpacticoid copepod fauna. The study found that the harpacticoid assemblage structure was mainly influenced by season and depth, indicating the importance of these factors in shaping rocky shore communities.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Florencia de la Rosa, Marleen De Troch, Malanga Gabriela, Hernando Marcelo
Summary: The effects of increased temperature and solar UVR on M. aeruginosa cultures were analyzed in terms of cell abundance, ROS/RNS, enzymatic antioxidants, fatty acids content, and lipid damage. Enzymatic antioxidant activity increased at high temperature to prevent cell death and lipid damage, showing adaptation to high temperature in addition to the differential response to UVAR.
PHOTOCHEMICAL & PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Leonardo A. Saravia, Tomas Marina, Nadiah P. Kristensen, Marleen De Troch, Fernando R. Momo
Summary: The goal of this study was to test evidence for selective processes in local food webs by comparing their structural properties to the expected distribution given the metaweb. Surprisingly, the study found that local food web structure is not strongly influenced by dynamical or habitat restrictions, suggesting that it is inherited from the metaweb.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Emiliana Tortorella, Rosa Giugliano, Marleen De Troch, Bruno Vlaeminck, Gercende Courtois de Vicose, Donatella de Pascale
Summary: The present study investigated the bioactive properties of tissue extracts derived from Haliotis tuberculata coccinea, or European abalone, showing antimicrobial and anthelmintic activities, as well as selective cytotoxic activity on cancer cell lines.
MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Geslaine Rafaela Lemos Goncalves, Ana Clara Denadai, Aline Nonato Sousa, Antonio Leao Castilho, Marleen De Troch
Summary: This study describes the fatty acid composition of three commercially important shrimp species from a region with large mangrove forests in Brazil. The unique fatty acid profiles of each species were influenced by their different life cycles, with significant differences observed in certain key fatty acids. Shrimps from this region are highlighted as essential sources of fatty acids in the trophic web and valuable for human health, particularly due to their polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA.
REGIONAL STUDIES IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Timothy J. Cronin, Isabelle Conrad, Thomas R. H. Kerkhove, Bart Hellemans, Marleen De Troch, Filip A. M. Volckaert, J. Antonio Baeza
Summary: This study reports the complete mitochondrial genome of the Atlantic seabob shrimp and analyzes its correlation and selective pressure. The results provide new genomic resources for this commercially important species and contribute to the understanding of its genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns.
JOURNAL OF CRUSTACEAN BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jens Boyen, Alberto Ribes-Navarro, Naoki Kabeya, Oscar Monroig, Annelien Rigaux, Patrick Fink, Pascal I. Habluetzel, Juan Carlos Navarro, Marleen De Troch
Summary: Long-chain (>= C-20) polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) are physiologically important for most animals, including humans. Recent research indicates the ability of certain invertebrates, mainly marine organisms, to synthesize and convert LC-PUFAs. The genetic pathways and mechanisms of LC-PUFA biosynthesis remain unknown in many invertebrates, but existing genomic resources can contribute to our understanding. This study identified key enzymes responsible for LC-PUFA biosynthesis in the copepod Platychelipus littoralis and demonstrated their functionality using heterologous expression in yeast.