Article
Environmental Sciences
Lucien Besnard, Gael Le Croizier, Felipe Galvan-Magana, David Point, Edouard Kraffe, James Ketchum, Raul Octavio Martinez Rincon, Gauthier Schaal
Summary: The decline of shark populations in the world ocean has unpredictable effects on ecosystem structure and function, necessitating new ecological information for a better understanding of the role of sharks in their habitats. Research has found that many shark species primarily forage in the mesopelagic area, but the extent to which different pelagic sharks rely on this habitat has been overlooked. By using mercury stable isotopes in the muscle of pelagic sharks, it is possible to reveal their food partitioning and the relationship between foraging depth and resource competition.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Florian Scholz, Jun Cheng, Zhouling Zhang, Paul Vosteen, Christopher Siebert, Martin Frank
Summary: Barium (Ba) isotopes can serve as a tracer for riverine freshwater input to the ocean and marine biogeochemical cycling. This study investigates the processes affecting Ba cycling in Kiel Bight, a fjord in the Baltic Sea. The results show that Ba concentrations and isotope ratios vary with depth and are influenced by mixing of freshwater and seawater, as well as biological processes and sediment-water interactions. These findings have implications for understanding nutrient dynamics and the isotopic balance of Ba in the ocean.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Irina Zhulay, Katrin Iken, Paul E. Renaud, Ksenia Kosobokova, Bodil A. Bluhm
Summary: Pelagic-benthic coupling refers to the connection between surface-water production and seafloor habitats through the exchange of energy, nutrients, and mass. The strength of this coupling was compared between 2005 and 2016 in the poorly studied Arctic Chukchi Borderland, with 2016 being a low-ice year. The results showed weaker coupling in 2016, with higher isotopic niche overlap and shorter isotopic distance between pelagic and benthic food web components.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Stephanie Mangan, Andrew M. Lohrer, Simon F. Thrush, Joanne I. Ellis, Conrad A. Pilditch
Summary: Anthropogenic increases in nutrient delivery have fundamentally altered the biogeochemical cycling in the marine coastal zone, with potential ecological shifts. Long-term enrichment and ecological complexity have limited our ability to effectively manage and prevent these changes.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Isabel R. Hilgendag, Heidi K. Swanson, Christopher W. Lewis, Ashley D. Ehrman, Michael Power
Summary: This study investigated mercury biomagnification in benthic, pelagic, and benthopelagic marine food webs in the Arctic, with results showing the highest biomagnification values in the benthopelagic food web. The benthic food web exhibited the greatest trophic diversity and isotopic niche area. Further study is needed to understand the impact of food web complexity on mercury biomagnification.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Swagata Sinha, Arnab Banerjee, Nabyendu Rakshit, Akkur Raman, Punyasloke Bhadury, Santanu Ray
Summary: Benthic components play a critical role in aquatic ecosystems, specifically in shallow water systems through benthic-pelagic coupling. A food web model incorporating both benthic and pelagic food webs was developed and analyzed for Kakinada Bay ecosystem, India. Perturbation scenarios involving microphytobenthos and suspension feeding invertebrates were used to study the effects on system robustness and integrity. The study provides insights into how benthic components may affect the overall system health and resilience.
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATICS
(2021)
Article
Limnology
Elka T. Porter, Jeffrey C. Cornwell
Summary: Benthic and pelagic processes are closely connected in shallow-water environments, but simulating their coupling in mesocosm experiments is challenging due to difficulties in mimicking realistic water column and bottom turbulence simultaneously. However, studies on benthic-pelagic coupling mesocosm experiments highlight the importance of considering realistic physics in these experiments. Mesocosm approaches that accurately represent both water column and bottom turbulence can provide a better understanding of feedback processes associated with biogeochemical, food web, and habitat shifts. Such experiments can also address gaps in our knowledge regarding nutrient and organic matter fluxes between benthic habitats and the water column.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Auriane G. Jones, Stanislas F. Dubois, Nicolas Desroy, Jerome Fournier
Summary: The study found that the honeycomb-worm S. alveolata promotes benthic-pelagic coupling and 'gardening' through creating physical structures, stimulating basal resources, and diversifying suspension-feeding species. This leads to trophic pathway diversification and limits trophic competition, ultimately promoting the establishment of a temporally stable and highly resilient reef habitat. The results also refine the definition of S. alveolata reefs as a single reef food web coupled by stimulated basal resources and consumers.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Panagiotis D. Dimitriou, Ioulia Santi, Manos L. Moraitis, Irini Tsikopoulou, Paraskevi Pitta, Ioannis Karakassis
Summary: The HYPOXIA project investigated the ecological processes of eutrophication and its potential irreversible changes in the eastern Mediterranean marine ecosystems. The project found that nutrient inputs in the water column can quickly lead to the bloom of specific species with high nutrient uptake capabilities. The coastal ecosystems in the region have shown high resilience to eutrophication.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vasilis Gerakaris, Ioanna Varkitzi, Martina Orlando-Bonaca, Katerina Kikaki, Patricija Mozetic, Polytimi-Ioli Lardi, Konstantinos Tsiamis, Janja France
Summary: This study explores the coupled responses of benthic and pelagic primary producers to eutrophication pressures on a large scale, based on a large dataset from three Mediterranean sub-basins. The results show that increased nutrient concentrations in both seawater and the water column have negative effects on macroalgal communities. The study also highlights the regulating effect of light availability on the ecological status of seagrass meadows.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Oceanography
Wenyan Zhang, Andreas Neumann, Ute Daewel, Kai Wirtz, Justus E. E. van Beusekom, Annika Eisele, Mengyao Ma, Corinna Schrum
Summary: The benthic oxygen flux in the German Bight is influenced by a complex interplay of hydrodynamics, bioturbation, and bedform morphodynamics, with macrobenthos playing a dominant role in diffusive flux. Bioturbation contributes significantly to oxygen consumption and distribution of particulate organic carbon in sediments, with different roles in sandy versus muddy seabed environments.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhigang Mao, Xiaohong Gu, Yong Cao, Juhua Luo, Qingfei Zeng, Huihui Chen, Erik Jeppesen
Summary: The transition from macrophyte to phytoplankton dominance in lake ecosystems can alter ecosystem structure and change the basic resources supporting the food web. Benthic invertebrates play a crucial role in this transition by transporting pelagic algae to the benthic zone, compensating for the reduction of macrophytes and epiphytes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pasquale Ricci, Roberto Carlucci, Francesca Capezzuto, Angela Carluccio, Giulia Cipriano, Gianfranco D'Onghia, Porzia Maiorano, Letizia Sion, Angelo Tursi, Simone Libralato
Summary: Benthic-pelagic coupling refers to the combination of downward and upward flows of organic matter and nutrients between the pelagic and benthic domains mediated by trophic interactions. This study investigated the spatio-temporal variability of such flows in the Salento and Calabrian areas of the Northern Ionian Sea. The results highlight the important role of deep faunal communities in the BPC, which are influenced by temporal changes driven by the Adriatic-Ionian Bimodal Oscillating Systems (BiOS).
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yongfu Shen, Mboglen David, Yi Gong, Feng Wu, Yunkai Li
Summary: Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool in studying the diets of pelagic predators. The use of ethanol as a preservative for biopsy samples is still debated, as it may affect the trophic interpretation of stable isotope values. Lipid extraction is also commonly used, and this study examines the effects of ethanol and combined ethanol and lipid extraction treatments on stable isotope values in pelagic predators.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sergio Rossi, Lucia Rizzo
Summary: The study assessed the impact of three Mediterranean gorgonians on seston concentration, with Paramuricea clavata showing the greatest impact and Eunicella singularis and Leptogorgia sarmentosa having lesser impacts. The morphology and capture rates of different corals play a role in determining their carbon ingestion.
Article
Ecology
Sarah M. Laske, Per-Arne Amundsen, Kirsten S. Christoffersen, Jaakko Erkinaro, Gudni Gudbergsson, Brian Hayden, Jani Heino, Kerstin Holmgren, Kimmo K. Kahilainen, Jennifer Lento, Panu Orell, Johan Ostergren, Michael Power, Ruslan Rafikov, Atso Romakkaniemi, Martin-A. Svenning, Heidi Swanson, Matthew Whitman, Christian E. Zimmerman
Summary: This study analyzes the large-scale patterns of freshwater fish biodiversity in the circumpolar Arctic, providing a baseline for improving the monitoring and conservation of Arctic freshwater biodiversity. Future research should fill information gaps and further investigate the observed patterns of diversity due to potential impacts of climate change, land use, and biotic exchange on Arctic fish biodiversity.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Javier Sanchez-Hernandez, Anders G. Finstad, Jo Vegar Arnekleiv, Gaute Kjaerstad, Per-Arne Amundsen
Summary: The study reveals that resource diversity, rather than resource abundance, is the primary driver of niche variation in fish in temperate riverine systems. Competition leads to a decrease in niche variation, while ecological opportunity may mask the effect of competition on niche variation.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Kathy Dunlop, Antti P. Eloranta, Erik Schoen, Mark Wipfli, Jenny L. A. Jensen, Rune Muladal, Guttorm N. Christensen
Summary: Recent research has shown that some native Atlantic salmon and brown trout in North European rivers may consume large quantities of pink salmon eggs, deriving marine-derived nutrients and energy from them. While the overall population-level impact of egg consumption and marine-derived nutrients in fish body tissues is minor, a few individuals have been found to have a long-term diet subsidized by pink salmon eggs.
ECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER FISH
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Ana Born-Torrijos, Rachel A. Paterson, Gabrielle S. van Beest, Tereza Vyhlidalova, Eirik H. Henriksen, Rune Knudsen, Roar Kristoffersen, Per-Arne Amundsen, Miroslava Soldanova
Summary: This study investigated the combined effects of temperature and predator infection status on the consumer functional response of three-spined sticklebacks towards free-living cercariae stages of common freshwater trematode parasites. Results showed genus-specific functional responses and consumption rates towards each parasite prey, with an overall higher consumption rate on T. franki. Elevated temperature increased consumption rate on one parasite prey, while sticklebacks with mild cestode infections exhibited higher consumption rates for that particular parasite prey.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Sebastian Prati, Eirik Haugstvedt Henriksen, Aslak Smalas, Rune Knudsen, Anders Klemetsen, Javier Sanchez-Hernandez, Per-Arne Amundsen
Summary: Competition plays a crucial role in shaping niche widths and resource utilization of fish species, as demonstrated in a 40-year study on Arctic charr and brown trout. The study revealed contrasting impacts of intra- and interspecific competition on individual and population niches, with Arctic charr showing increased niche width under intensified interspecific competition while brown trout maintained stable niche width and competitive superiority. The large-scale fish culling experiment highlighted pronounced temporal dynamics in trophic niche and resource use, emphasizing the complex interactions between competition and niche specialization.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Milan Riha, Karl O. Gjelland, Vilem Ded, Antti P. Eloranta, Ruben Rabaneda-Bueno, Henrik Baktoft, Lukas Vejrik, Ivana Vejrikova, Vladislav Drastik, Marek Smejkal, Michaela Holubova, Tomas Juza, Carolyn Rosten, Zuzana Sajdlova, Finn Okland, Jiri Peterka
Summary: Our study found that differences in structural complexity in lakes lead to significant changes in the foraging behavior of an apex predator, the Northern pike. The pike in the low structural complexity lake displayed increased activity, space use, and growth, while the pike in the high structural complexity lake showed behavior consistent with ambush predation. This could have implications for the prey community in these lakes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Antti P. Eloranta, Anders G. Finstad, Odd Terje Sandlund, Rune Knudsen, Anna Kuparinen, Per-Arne Amundsen
Summary: This study reveals that the intensity of interspecific interactions affects the ecological niche width of LSR whitefish, while increasing altitude and larger fish body size also have an impact.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Ana Born-Torrijos, Gabrielle S. van Beest, Tereza Vyhlidalova, Rune Knudsen, Roar Kristoffersen, Per-Arne Amundsen, David W. Thieltges, Miroslava Soldanova
Summary: Temperature plays a crucial role in the activity and survival of cercariae, with different trematode genera showing varied responses to temperature. High temperatures may accelerate the depletion of energy reserves in cercariae, affecting their behavior and mortality rates.
Article
Microbiology
Miroslava Soldanova, Ana Born-Torrijos, Roar Kristoffersen, Rune Knudsen, Per-Arne Amundsen, Tomas Scholz
Summary: This study investigated the daily cercarial emergence rhythms of bird schistosomes in a subarctic lake and found a circadian rhythm with the highest emergence during the morning hours. These patterns were independent of the photo- and thermo-period regimes and showed relatively high production of cercariae at low temperatures.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Antti P. Eloranta, Gaute Kjaerstad, Michael Power, Hanna-Kaisa Lakka, Jo Vegar Arnekleiv, Anders G. Finstad
Summary: Chemical eradication of non-native species can lead to changes in species assemblages, but results in only minor shifts in resource use and trophic diversity of benthic invertebrate communities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Per-Arne Amundsen, Matilda Henriksson, Amanda Poste, Sebastian Prati, Michael Power
Summary: This study examines the interaction between trophic ecology and mercury contamination in the fish communities of two lakes in a pollution-impacted subarctic watercourse. The findings suggest that the complexity of the food web and the composition of species play a role in the transfer of mercury in fish. Piscivorous fish were found to have higher mercury concentrations, with some species exceeding health authorization limits, potentially impacting fishing and human consumption.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Mahsa Hajisafarali, Jouni Taskinen, Antti P. Eloranta, Mikko Kiljunen
Summary: Chemical preservatives can alter stable isotope ratios in animal tissues. This study investigated the effects of ethanol preservation on delta C-13, delta N-15, and delta H-2 values in the freshwater pearl mussel (FPM). Ethanol preservation significantly increased delta C-13 values and had a tissue-dependent effect on delta H-2 values.
Article
Ecology
Antti P. Eloranta, Tommi Perala, Anna Kuparinen
Summary: Current research in ecology and ecosystem management emphasizes the need for a better understanding of the abiotic factors driving community dynamics, such as the impact of temperature on species interactions and biomass accumulation. Allometric trophic network (ATN) models, which simulate carbon transfer in trophic networks based on metabolic rates, offer a promising framework for studying consumer-resource interactions. However, these models usually overlook temporal changes in key abiotic drivers that affect consumer metabolism and producer growth. Here, we assess how changes in carrying capacity, light-dependent growth rate of producers, and temperature-dependent metabolic rate of consumers influence ATN model dynamics, specifically seasonal biomass accumulation and standing stock biomass of different trophic groups. Our findings highlight the importance of considering seasonality and adjusting abiotic parameters in ATN models to simulate temporal fluctuations in food-web dynamics and evaluate community-level responses to environmental changes.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Anna Kuparinen, Silva Uusi-Heikkila, Tommi Perala, Fabio Ercoli, Antti P. P. Eloranta, Fabien Cremona, Peeter Noges, Alo Laas, Tiina Noges
Summary: Invasive species pose a threat to native populations and the structure of food webs. Using an ecological network model, we predict the impact of Amur sleeper invasion on a lake ecosystem. The establishment of Amur sleeper leads to a decrease in biomass of top predator fishes.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2023)
