Article
Environmental Sciences
Stephanie D. Graves, Johanna J. Mason, Jose Luis Rodriguez-Gil, Jonathan Y. Seguin, Jules M. Blais, Mark L. Hanson, Bruce P. Hollebone, Vince P. Palace, Ian Clark, Leah Cundall, Daniel Layton-Matthews, Matthew I. Leybourne, Diane M. Orihel
Summary: Bacteria can biodegrade petroleum hydrocarbons after an oil spill, which could be assimilated by aquatic organisms. A study in a boreal lake in Canada examined the assimilation of petrogenic carbon into a freshwater food web after experimental spills of dilbit. The results showed minimal incorporation of oil carbon into the food web.
Article
Ecology
Sai Wang, Tuan-Tuan Wang, Wen-Tong Xia, Zhong-Bing Chen, Simon D. Stewart, Feng-Juan Yang, Gong Cheng, Xiao-Di Wang, Ding-Ying Wang, Song-Guang Xie
Summary: The utilization of food resources by aquatic consumers in the Liuxi River is mainly dependent on diatom-dominated periphyton, aquatic C-3 plants, and suspended particulate organic matter, highlighting the importance of inherent producers in river ecosystems. The study suggests that protecting these producers and restoring their habitats are crucial for effective aquatic ecosystem management.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yuping Xiang, Guangliang Liu, Yongguang Yin, Yong Cai
Summary: Periphyton in the Florida Everglades plays a significant role in the distribution and bioaccumulation of MeHg in water systems.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
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
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Simona Sporta Caputi, Loreto Rossi, Xavier Pons, Giulio Careddu, Edoardo Calizza, Maria Letizia Costantini
Summary: Genetically modified (GM) crops are a good way to improve food and environmental safety by reducing insecticide use. This study explores the impact of GM and non-GM maize residues on the soil food web. The results suggest that non-GM maize residues are more attractive to invertebrate consumers and have an impact on nutrient flows in tritrophic detritus-based food webs.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jeremy Lobry, Florence Mounier, Marine Ballutaud, Xavier Chevillot, Didier Gascuel, Helene Budzinski, Pierre Labadie, Hilaire Drouineau
Summary: Food-web modelling is a crucial tool for understanding community structure, biodiversity, ecosystem processes, and functioning. This study presents an innovative approach that combines a Bayesian mixing model with classical mass-balance equations to estimate diet composition, isotopic enrichment, contaminant biomagnification, and contaminants and biomass flows in the whole food web.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Yang Liu, Michele Tackx, Alain Dauta, Frederic Julien, Evelyne Buffan-Dubau
Summary: The study suggests that under high nitrate concentration conditions, high densities of rotifers enhance the nitrogen uptake capacity of phototrophic biofilms. Additionally, densities of rotifers and bacteria in biofilms are positively correlated under N - NO3- enriched conditions, indicating interaction between these two communities during the experimental period.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dhanya Mohan Lal, Giri Bhavan Sreekanth, Chitra Soman, Anupam Sharma, Zeba Jaffer Abidi
Summary: The food and feeding relationships in the Ulhas River Estuary (URE) were analyzed using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures. The results showed that there were both a phytoplankton-based pelagic food chain and a detritus-based benthic food chain in URE. The ecosystem in URE exhibited a broader food web structure and higher trophic diversity, indicating the influence of anthropogenic activities on nitrogen pollution and trophic disturbance.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Jean-Michel Mortillaro, Lionel Dabbadie, Andoniaina E. Raminoharisoa, Anais Paradis, Philippe Martel, Rija Andriamarolaza, Modestine Raliniaina, Olivier Mikolasek, Joel Aubin
Summary: The trophic dynamics of integrated rice and fish farming systems were studied in irrigated rice plots in Madagascar. The study assessed fish feeding behavior by analyzing stable isotopes of fish and natural feed sources. The results showed that organic fertilization can enhance natural productivity and ecological intensification of rice and fish production.
Article
Limnology
Cecilia E. Heuvel, Yingming Zhao, Jan J. H. Ciborowski, Li Wang, Emilee Mancini, Aaron T. Fisk
Summary: The use of baselines in stable isotope studies is essential for interpreting food web structure. This study tested this assumption in Lake Erie by quantifying spatial variation in stable isotopes and density of benthic organisms. The results showed distinct spatial trends in stable isotopes, which were not related to population densities.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Tereza Novotna Jaromerska, Jakub Trubac, Krzysztof Zawierucha, Lenka Vondrovicova, Miloslav Devetter, Jakub D. Zarsky
Summary: This study presents data on the isotopic composition of tardigrades, rotifers, and cryoconite from High Arctic glaciers in Svalbard, discussing their role in a cryoconite hole trophic network. Differences in isotopic values between consumers and organic matter in cryoconite were found, indicating the need for further investigation into the particular diets and isotopic ratios of cryoconite consumers. The study introduces the first observation of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic composition of top consumers in cryoconite holes, paving the way for future studies on supraglacial trophic networks.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Michelle Gelippi, Monica Francesca Blasi, Marco Friedrich Walter Gauger, Gabriele Favero, Daniela Mattei, Sandra Hochscheid, Andrea Camedda, Giuseppe Andrea de Lucia, Davide Cicala
Summary: Marine turtles, specifically Mediterranean loggerhead turtles, are important indicator species for ecosystem function and environmental health. This study examines the feeding habits of these turtles through analysis of carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in their blood and epidermis. The results suggest variability in feeding habitats and preferences for lower trophic level prey. The study highlights the importance of sampling live and wild animals to investigate different ecological features of sea turtles.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Axell K. Minowa, Andre R. S. Garraffoni
Summary: We contribute to the biodiversity knowledge of Brazilian Gastrotricha by reporting new records, providing morphometric, molecular, and phylogenetic data, and presenting the first electron microscopy record of D. lamellatus.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bianca Kreuzinger-Janik, Walter Traunspurger, Nabil Majdi
Summary: Moss patches at the interface between terrestrial and limnic ecosystems are colonized by various types of animals. Mosses primarily serve as a substrate for epiphytic biofilms, which are the main food resource for invertebrates. The moss-dwelling community in the lake has lower trophic redundancy and occupies a larger isotopic space compared to the stream. The delta C-13 range is significantly larger in the lake, while the delta N-15 range is similar in both habitats. Despite their small body sizes, certain invertebrates may occupy apex positions in moss food webs.
Article
Ecology
K. M. Fraser, R. D. Stuart-Smith, S. D. Ling, G. J. Edgar
Summary: Changes in invertebrate body size-distributions following loss of habitat-forming species can impact ecological processes such as predation and competition. The study revealed predictable variation in size spectra of shallow epifaunal assemblages across reef microhabitats along an eastern Australian climatic gradient. While size spectra differed between major groups of microhabitats, there was little variability between tropical and temperate biomes. Ocean warming is unlikely to greatly alter epifaunal size spectra directly, but transformation of habitats due to warming may affect reef food web dynamics.
Article
Ecology
Benjamin Wilden, Nabil Majdi, Ute Kuhlicke, Thomas R. Neu, Walter Traunspurger
Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Walter Traunspurger, Benjamin Wilden, Nabil Majdi
Article
Ecology
Christoph Ptatscheck, Birgit Gansfort, Nabil Majdi, Walter Traunspurger
Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Nabil Majdi, Jenny M. Schmid-Araya, Walter Traunspurger
Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jenny M. Schmid-Araya, Peter E. Schmid, Nabil Majdi, Walter Traunspurger
Editorial Material
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Nabil Majdi, Jenny M. Schmid-Araya, Walter Traunspurger
Article
Ecology
Nabil Majdi, Miriam Colls, Linette Weiss, Vicenc Acuna, Sergi Sabater, Walter Traunspurger
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Julie Neury-Ormanni, Caroline Doose, Nabil Majdi, Jacky Vedrenne, Walter Traunspurger, Soizic Morin
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nabil Majdi, Jana Uthoff, Walter Traunspurger, Pascal Laffaille, Anthony Maire
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2020)
Article
Zoology
Bianca Kreuzinger-Janik, Nabil Majdi, Walter Traunspurger
Summary: This study provides insights into the diversity and abundance of meio-invertebrates living in mosses collected from different habitats along a Swedish lake, with underwater mosses near the shoreline hosting the most diverse community. The study shows that feeding types differ between habitats and the composition of nematode species can mirror ecological changes at the study site.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Mariia Kryvokhyzhyna, Nabil Majdi, Anna Oprei, Michael Mutz, Ute Risse-Buhl
Summary: The migration of stream sediments affects the structure and characteristics of meiobenthic communities, as well as the energy flow paths in benthic food webs.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nabil Majdi, Lizaan de Necker, Hendrika Fourie, Ane Loggenberg, Edward C. Netherlands, Jasmine Bunte-Tschikin, Walter Traunspurger, Gerhard C. du Preez
Summary: Meiobenthos, or meiofauna, play an important role in linking microbial production to higher trophic levels in rivers. However, their communities in Africa remain poorly studied. This research sampled meio- and macrobenthic invertebrate communities along rivers in the Kruger National Park and found differences in community structure across rivers and along an upstream-downstream gradient. The results suggest that protected river reaches have a beneficial effect on benthic invertebrate diversity.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bianca Kreuzinger-Janik, Walter Traunspurger, Nabil Majdi
Summary: Moss patches at the interface between terrestrial and limnic ecosystems are colonized by various types of animals. Mosses primarily serve as a substrate for epiphytic biofilms, which are the main food resource for invertebrates. The moss-dwelling community in the lake has lower trophic redundancy and occupies a larger isotopic space compared to the stream. The delta C-13 range is significantly larger in the lake, while the delta N-15 range is similar in both habitats. Despite their small body sizes, certain invertebrates may occupy apex positions in moss food webs.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Julia Pasqualini, Nabil Majdi, Mario Brauns
Summary: Estimates of secondary production are affected by sampling methods' efficiency in capturing macroinvertebrate community abundances and body lengths. The efficiency of common methods is poorly understood. Comparisons between a Surber sampler and a Freeze corer in a forested stream showed differences in macroinvertebrate abundance and biomass. The incomplete sampling of body lengths and abundance underestimated total secondary production by 48% (Surber) and 49% (Freeze corer). Reducing mesh size from 250 to 100 μm could decrease underestimation to about 12%. These results enhance the efficiency of sampling methods and provide reliable quantification of macroinvertebrate role in stream ecosystems.
Article
Zoology
Nabil Majdi, Hendrik Fueser, Marie-Theres Rauchschwalbe, Birgit Gansfort, Jana Uthoff, Bianca Kreuzinger-Janik, Christoph Ptatscheck, Janina Schenk, Stefanie Gehner, Hubert Spieth, Benjamin Wilden, Sebastian Hoss
Summary: In this article, we pay tribute to Professor Walter Traunspurger for his achievements and contributions to the fields of nematology and ecology. Throughout his career, he has supervised numerous students and published over 200 research articles in top-tier journals. His expertise and broad research interests have made him an invaluable source of knowledge and inspiration for his students and colleagues. By summarizing and sharing his scientific accomplishments, we hope to inspire the next generation of nematologists and ecologists to continue his legacy and explore the promising avenues of research he has opened up.
