Abundance, horizontal and vertical distribution of the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in the central Baltic Sea, November 2007

The distribution and abundance of the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in the Bornholm Basin, an important spawning ground of several fish stocks, and in adjacent areas in the central Baltic Sea was studied in November 2007. The study showed that M. leidyi were relatively small (body length 18.6 ± 7.6 mm) and they were patchily distributed over a large part of the investigated area. Specimens were found on 68 and 59% of stations sampled with a Bongo net (n=39) and an Isaac-Kidd midwater trawl (n=51), respectively. Vertically, the highest densities of M. leidyi occurred at 40 to 60 m around the halocline. Horizontally, the highest abundances were found north and west of Bornholm, but relatively high densities were also observed in the Slupsk Furrow. The mean abundance was 1.58 ± 2.12 ind. m-2, the peak abundance was 8.92 ind. m-2, and the average and peak population density were 0.03 ± 0.05 and 0.28 ind. m-3, respectively. The abundances are low compared to densities recently observed in other areas of the Baltic region (e. g. Limfjorden, Åland Sea) and the estimated predation impact on zooplankton by M. leidyi was negligible in November 2007. However, because of the ctenophore’s wide distribution in the central Baltic Sea, its ability for rapid population growth, and its potential influence on fish stocks by competing for food and by preying on fish eggs and newly hatched larvae, close monitoring of the future development of M. leidyi in the Baltic Sea is strongly recommended

Connectivity of larval cod in the transition area between North Sea and Baltic Sea and potential implications for fisheries management

Connectivity of pelagic, early life stages via transport by ocean currents may affect survival chances of offspring, recruitment success, and mixing of stocks across management units. Based on drift model studies, transport patterns of particles representing exogenously feeding cod larvae in the transition area between North Sea and Baltic were investigated to (i) determine long-term trends and variability in advective transport of larvae from spawning grounds to juvenile nursery areas, (ii) estimate the degree of exchange between different management areas, and (iii) compare the results with spatial distributions of juvenile cod. The transport of particles showed considerable intra- and interannual variability, but also some general patterns of retention within and dispersion to different management areas. Good spatial overlap of particle end positions, representing potential juvenile settlement areas, with observed distributions of juveniles in bottom trawl surveys suggests that the drift simulations provide reasonable estimates of early life stage connectivity between cod populations in the investigated areas. High exchange rates of particles between management areas of up to ca. 70% suggest that cod populations in the investigated areas are demographically correlated. Results are discussed in relation to their relevance for stock structure, fish stock assessment, and management

Mono- and Cocultures of Bronchial and Alveolar Epithelial Cells Respond Differently to Proinflammatory Stimuli and Their Modulation by Salbutamol and Budesonide

© 2015 American Chemical Society. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in transport and effectiveness of salbutamol sulfate (SAL) and budesonide (BD) following stimulation with transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in mono- and coculture models of bronchial and alveolar epithelium. Primary bronchial and alveolar epithelial cells, grown at air interface on filters, either as monocultures or in coculture with airway smooth muscle cells or alveolar macrophages, respectively, were stimulated with TGF-β. The biological response was modulated by depositing aerosolized SAL and BD on bronchial and alveolar models, respectively. Barrier integrity, permeability to fluorescein-Na, transport of the deposited drug, and the pharmacological response to SAL (cAMP and IL-8 levels) or BD (IL-6 and -8 levels) were measured. While stimulation with TGF-β did not have any significant effect on the transepithelial electrical resistance and permeability to fluorescein-Na in mono- and coculture models, transport of SAL and BD were affected in cultures from some of the patients (6 out of 12 for bronchial and 2 out of 4 for alveolar cells). The bronchial coculture showed a better responsiveness to SAL in terms of cAMP release than the monoculture. In contrast, the difference between alveolar mono- and cocultures to TGF-β mediated interleukin release and its modulation by BD was less pronounced. Our data point to intrinsic differences in the transport of, and responsiveness to, SAL and BD when epithelial cell cultures originate from different patients. Moreover, if the biological responses (e.g., IL-8, cAMP) involve communication between different cell types, coculture models are more relevant to measure such effects than monocultures

Hydrographic influence on the spawning habitat suitability of western Baltic cod (Gadus morhua)

Recruitment variability of marine fish is influenced by the reproductive potential of the stock (i.e. stock characteristics and abundance) and the survival of early life stages, mediated by environmental conditions of both a physical (water temperature, salinity and oxygen conditions, ocean currents) and a biological nature (i.e. food, predators). The objective of this study is to assess the importance of variability in environmental conditions within different western Baltic cod spawning grounds for egg survival. Habitat identification was based on environmental threshold levels for egg survival and development and ambient hydrographical conditions at different times during the spawning season. The long-term resolution of environmental conditions allowing survival of western Baltic cod eggs indicates that favourable conditions predominantly occurred during the late spawning season in April/May, while minimum survival rates could be expected from January to March. Unsuitable time periods and habitats exhibiting the highest mortality rates are exclusively characterized by ambient water temperatures below the critical survival threshold. Despite the strong influence of water temperature on habitat suitability, the impact of habitat suitability on recruitment was not clearly defined, suggesting that other mechanisms regulate year class strength

Suitability of otolith microchemistry for stock separation of Baltic cod

Microchemical otolith analyses have been shown to provide valuable information on the life history, dispersal and stock characteristics of teleost fish. In the present study, the suitability of this technique for identifying the origin and distribution of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua L. from the Baltic Sea was examined using laser ablation-ICPMS. The capacity to distinguish individuals from different Baltic Sea stocks and from the adjacent North Sea stock based on incoporation of stock-specific elemental fingerprints along otolith growth axes was investigated. It was further tested if different origins led to spawning-site specific element concentrations in otolith cores. The results indicate that microchemical analyses of Baltic cod otoliths are applicable for differentiating individuals of different stocks. Analyses of similarities including 12 element/calcium ratios resulted in significant differences between individuals from the eastern and the western Baltic Sea and between North Sea and Baltic Sea samples. Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, Y/Ca, Mg/Ca, Zr/Ca and Mn/Ca ratios had the strongest discriminatory power. A further separation of individuals caught in 3 different spawning grounds of the eastern Baltic, however, was not possible. Elemental compositions from the core regions of otoliths from young of the year cod caught in eastern and western Baltic Sea spawning grounds showed significant differences in Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca and Mg/Ca concentrations. Analyses of similarities again showed significant differences between these areas for juveniles. This study demonstrates the potential of otolith microchemical analyses to provide important information about the stock structure and connectivity of G. morhua in the Baltic Sea

Heralded single photon absorption by a single atom

The emission and absorption of single photons by single atomic particles is a fundamental limit of matter-light interaction, manifesting its quantum mechanical nature. At the same time, as a controlled process it is a key enabling tool for quantum technologies, such as quantum optical information technology [1, 2] and quantum metrology [3, 4, 5, 6]. Controlling both emission and absorption will allow implementing quantum networking scenarios [1, 7, 8, 9], where photonic communication of quantum information is interfaced with its local processing in atoms. In studies of single-photon emission, recent progress includes control of the shape, bandwidth, frequency, and polarization of single-photon sources [10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17], and the demonstration of atom-photon entanglement [18, 19, 20]. Controlled absorption of a single photon by a single atom is much less investigated; proposals exist but only very preliminary steps have been taken experimentally such as detecting the attenuation and phase shift of a weak laser beam by a single atom [21, 22], and designing an optical system that covers a large fraction of the full solid angle [23, 24, 25]. Here we report the interaction of single heralded photons with a single trapped atom. We find strong correlations of the detection of a heralding photon with a change in the quantum state of the atom marking absorption of the quantum-correlated heralded photon. In coupling a single absorber with a quantum light source, our experiment demonstrates previously unexplored matter-light interaction, while opening up new avenues towards photon-atom entanglement conversion in quantum technology.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure