Evidence that exogenous but not endogenous norepinephrine activates the presynaptic alpha,-adrenoceptors on serotonergic nerve endings in the rat hypothalamus

ABSTRACT ABBREVIATiONS: NE, norepinephnne; 5-HT, 5-hydroxytryptamine; 6F-NE, 6-fluoronorepinephrine. 72

Stable isotopes reveal trophic relationships and diet of consumers in temperate kelp forest and coral reef ecosystems

We explored the use of stable nitrogen (N) isotope analysis to assess trophic position of consumers in two marine ecosystems: the kelp forests of southern California and a coral atoll in the tropical Pacific. The delta N-15 values of consumers in both ecosystems increased from known herbivores (invertebrates and fish) to higher-level consumers (predatory invertebrates and fish). In the absence of data on trophic enrichment in N-15 for our study species, we used the oft-cited value of +3.4 parts per thousand increase in delta N-15 value per trophic level and estimates of the delta N-15 producer baseline value to estimate trophic position. The trophic position of consumers computed using N isotopes compared favorably to published observations of diet. Nitrogen isotope analysis revealed that some of our higher-level fish consumers from rocky reefs (i.e., some rockfish) were feeding largely on invertebrates rather than on fish, as is often assumed. Our analysis also suggests that higher-level consumers on coral reefs may consume more herbivorous prey (i.e., both fishes and invertebrates) than previously reported. Our data support the use of nitrogen isotope values to assess trophic position and, thus, their utility as one metric with which to explore the effects of short- and longer-term natural and human-induced changes on kelp forest and coral reef food webs

Climate warming, marine protected areas and the ocean-scale integrity of coral reef ecosystems

Coral reefs have emerged as one of the ecosystems most vulnerable to climate variation and change. While the contribution of a warming climate to the loss of live coral cover has been well documented across large spatial and temporal scales, the associated effects on fish have not. Here, we respond to recent and repeated calls to assess the importance of local management in conserving coral reefs in the context of global climate change. Such information is important, as coral reef fish assemblages are the most species dense vertebrate communities on earth, contributing critical ecosystem functions and providing crucial ecosystem services to human societies in tropical countries. Our assessment of the impacts of the 1998 mass bleaching event on coral cover, reef structural complexity, and reef associated fishes spans 7 countries, 66 sites and 26 degrees of latitude in the Indian Ocean. Using Bayesian meta-analysis we show that changes in the size structure, diversity and trophic composition of the reef fish community have followed coral declines. Although the ocean scale integrity of these coral reef ecosystems has been lost, it is positive to see the effects are spatially variable at multiple scales, with impacts and vulnerability affected by geography but not management regime. Existing no-take marine protected areas still support high biomass of fish, however they had no positive affect on the ecosystem response to large-scale disturbance. This suggests a need for future conservation and management efforts to identify and protect regional refugia, which should be integrated into existing management frameworks and combined with policies to improve system-wide resilience to climate variation and change

Different Transcriptional Control of Metabolism and Extracellular Matrix in Visceral and Subcutaneous Fat of Obese and Rimonabant Treated Mice

BACKGROUND: The visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SCAT) adipose tissues play different roles in physiology and obesity. The molecular mechanisms underlying their expansion in obesity and following body weight reduction are poorly defined. METHODOLOGY: C57Bl/6 mice fed a high fat diet (HFD) for 6 months developed low, medium, or high body weight as compared to normal chow fed mice. Mice from each groups were then treated with the cannabinoid receptor 1 antagonist rimonabant or vehicle for 24 days to normalize their body weight. Transcriptomic data for visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues from each group of mice were obtained and analyzed to identify: i) genes regulated by HFD irrespective of body weight, ii) genes whose expression correlated with body weight, iii) the biological processes activated in each tissue using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), iv) the transcriptional programs affected by rimonabant. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In VAT, "metabolic" genes encoding enzymes for lipid and steroid biosynthesis and glucose catabolism were down-regulated irrespective of body weight whereas "structure" genes controlling cell architecture and tissue remodeling had expression levels correlated with body weight. In SCAT, the identified "metabolic" and "structure" genes were mostly different from those identified in VAT and were regulated irrespective of body weight. GSEA indicated active adipogenesis in both tissues but a more prominent involvement of tissue stroma in VAT than in SCAT. Rimonabant treatment normalized most gene expression but further reduced oxidative phosphorylation gene expression in SCAT but not in VAT. CONCLUSION: VAT and SCAT show strikingly different gene expression programs in response to high fat diet and rimonabant treatment. Our results may lead to identification of therapeutic targets acting on specific fat depots to control obesity

Rare Species Support Vulnerable Functions in High-Diversity Ecosystems

Around the world, the human-induced collapses of populations and species have triggered a sixth mass extinction crisis, with rare species often being the first to disappear. Although the role of species diversity in the maintenance of ecosystem processes has been widely investigated, the role of rare species remains controversial. A critical issue is whether common species insure against the loss of functions supported by rare species. This issue is even more critical in species-rich ecosystems where high functional redundancy among species is likely and where it is thus often assumed that ecosystem functioning is buffered against species loss. Here, using extensive datasets of species occurrences and functional traits from three highly diverse ecosystems (846 coral reef fishes, 2,979 alpine plants, and 662 tropical trees), we demonstrate that the most distinct combinations of traits are supported predominantly by rare species both in terms of local abundance and regional occupancy. Moreover, species that have low functional redundancy and are likely to support the most vulnerable functions, with no other species carrying similar combinations of traits, are rarer than expected by chance in all three ecosystems. For instance, 63% and 98% of fish species that are likely to support highly vulnerable functions in coral reef ecosystems are locally and regionally rare, respectively. For alpine plants, 32% and 89% of such species are locally and regionally rare, respectively. Remarkably, 47% of fish species and 55% of tropical tree species that are likely to support highly vulnerable functions have only one individual per sample on average. Our results emphasize the importance of rare species conservation, even in highly diverse ecosystems, which are thought to exhibit high functional redundancy. Rare species offer more than aesthetic, cultural, or taxonomic diversity value; they disproportionately increase the potential breadth of functions provided by ecosystems across spatial scales. As such, they are likely to insure against future uncertainty arising from climate change and the ever-increasing anthropogenic pressures on ecosystems. Our results call for a more detailed understanding of the role of rarity and functional vulnerability in ecosystem functioning

Pharmacometabolomics of Response to Sertraline and to Placebo in Major Depressive Disorder - Possible Role for Methoxyindole Pathway

10.1371/journal.pone.0068283PLoS ONE87-POLN

Acanthaster planci Outbreak: Decline in Coral Health, Coral Size Structure Modification and Consequences for Obligate Decapod Assemblages

Although benthic motile invertebrate communities encompass the vast majority of coral reef diversity, their response to habitat modification has been poorly studied. A variety of benthic species, particularly decapods, provide benefits to their coral host enabling them to cope with environmental stressors, and as a result benefit the overall diversity of coral-associated species. However, little is known about how invertebrate assemblages associated with corals will be affected by global perturbations, (either directly or indirectly via their coral host) or their consequences for ecosystem resilience. Analysis of a ten year dataset reveals that the greatest perturbation at Moorea over this time was an outbreak of the corallivorous sea star Acanthaster planci from 2006 to 2009 impacting habitat health, availability and size structure of Pocillopora spp. populations and highlights a positive relationship between coral head size and survival. We then present the results of a mensurative study in 2009 conducted at the end of the perturbation (A. planci outbreak) describing how coral-decapod communities change with percent coral mortality for a selected coral species, Pocillopora eydouxi. The loss of coral tissue as a consequence of A. planci consumption led to an increase in rarefied total species diversity, but caused drastic modifications in community composition driven by a shift from coral obligate to non-obligate decapod species. Our study highlights that larger corals left with live tissue in 2009, formed a restricted habitat where coral obligate decapods, including mutualists, could subsist. We conclude that the size structure of Pocillopora populations at the time of an A. planci outbreak may greatly condition the magnitude of coral mortality as well as the persistence of local populations of obligate decapods

Extreme climatic events reduce ocean productivity and larval supply in a tropical reef ecosystem

Increasing ocean temperatures due to global warming are predicted to have negative effects on coral reef fishes. El Nino events are associated with elevated water temperatures at large spatial (1000s of km) and temporal (annual) scales, providing environmental conditions that enable temperature effects on reef fishes to be tested directly. We compared remote sensing data of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies, surface current flow and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration with monthly patterns in larval supply of coral reef fishes in nearshore waters around Rangiroa Atoll (French Polynesia) from January 1996 to March 2000. This time included an intense El Nino (April 1997-May 1998) event between two periods of La Nina (January-March 1996 and August 1998-March 2000) conditions. There was a strong relationship between the timing of the El Nino event, current flow, ocean productivity (as measured by Chl-a) and larval supply. In the warm conditions of the event, there was an increase in the SST anomaly index up to 3.5 degrees C above mean values and a decrease in the strength of the westward surface current toward the reef. These conditions coincided with low concentrations of Chl-a (mean: 0.06 mg m-3, SE +/- 0.004) and a 51% decline in larval supply from mean values. Conversely, during strong La Nina conditions when SST anomalies were almost 2 degrees C below mean values and there was a strong westward surface current, Chl-a concentration was 150% greater than mean values and larval supply was 249% greater. A lag in larval supply suggested that productivity maybe affecting both the production of larvae by adults and larval survival. Our results suggest that warming temperatures in the world's oceans will have negative effects on the reproduction of reef fishes and survival of their larvae within the plankton, ultimately impacting on the replenishment of benthic populations