Effects of ecosystem protection on scallop populations within a community-led temperate marine reserve

This study investigated the effects of a newly established, fully protected marine reserve on benthic habitats and two commercially valuable species of scallop in Lamlash Bay, Isle of Arran, United Kingdom. Annual dive surveys from 2010 to 2013 showed the abundance of juvenile scallops to be significantly greater within the marine reserve than outside. Generalised linear models revealed this trend to be significantly related to the greater presence of macroalgae and hydroids growing within the boundaries of the reserve. These results suggest that structurally complex habitats growing within the reserve have substantially increased spat settlement and/or survival. The density of adult king scallops declined threefold with increasing distance from the boundaries of the reserve, indicating possible evidence of spillover or reduced fishing effort directly outside and around the marine reserve. However, there was no difference in the mean density of adult scallops between the reserve and outside. Finally, the mean age, size, and reproductive and exploitable biomass of king scallops were all significantly greater within the reserve. In contrast to king scallops, the population dynamics of queen scallops (Aequipecten opercularis) fluctuated randomly over the survey period and showed little difference between the reserve and outside. Overall, this study is consistent with the hypothesis that marine reserves can encourage the recovery of seafloor habitats, which, in turn, can benefit populations of commercially exploited species, emphasising the importance of marine reserves in the ecosystem-based management of fisheries

Identification of Metabolites in the Normal Ovary and Their Transformation in Primary and Metastatic Ovarian Cancer

In this study, we characterized the metabolome of the human ovary and identified metabolic alternations that coincide with primary epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and metastatic tumors resulting from primary ovarian cancer (MOC) using three analytical platforms: gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) using buffer systems and instrument settings to catalog positive or negative ions. The human ovarian metabolome was found to contain 364 biochemicals and upon transformation of the ovary caused changes in energy utilization, altering metabolites associated with glycolysis and β-oxidation of fatty acids—such as carnitine (1.79 fold in EOC, p<0.001; 1.88 fold in MOC, p<0.001), acetylcarnitine (1.75 fold in EOC, p<0.001; 2.39 fold in MOC, p<0.001), and butyrylcarnitine (3.62 fold, p<0.0094 in EOC; 7.88 fold, p<0.001 in MOC). There were also significant changes in phenylalanine catabolism marked by increases in phenylpyruvate (4.21 fold; p = 0.0098) and phenyllactate (195.45 fold; p<0.0023) in EOC. Ovarian cancer also displayed an enhanced oxidative stress response as indicated by increases in 2-aminobutyrate in EOC (1.46 fold, p = 0.0316) and in MOC (2.25 fold, p<0.001) and several isoforms of tocopherols. We have also identified novel metabolites in the ovary, specifically N-acetylasparate and N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate, whose role in ovarian physiology has yet to be determined. These data enhance our understanding of the diverse biochemistry of the human ovary and demonstrate metabolic alterations upon transformation. Furthermore, metabolites with significant changes between groups provide insight into biochemical consequences of transformation and are candidate biomarkers of ovarian oncogenesis. Validation studies are warranted to determine whether these compounds have clinical utility in the diagnosis or clinical management of ovarian cancer patients

Satellite-Measured Phytoplankton and Environmental Factors in North Patagonian Gulfs

Abstract An extensive series of high-resolution satellite images from the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS, 2000?2006) was used in thecharacterization of the phytoplankton biomass seasonal cycle of the north Patagoniangulfs (NPG). The NPG system is formed by the San Matías, San José, and Nuevogulfs (between 40°47′and 43°00′S and 63°00′ and 65°1.2′W) and is an area ofecological importance and of great significance for marine conservation in thePatagonian Argentinean Shelf. The spatio temporal variability of phytoplanktonbiomass in each of these environments was characterized by chlorophyll a datafrom satellite images (Chla-sat). The observed seasonal variability was explainedby factors influencing the growth of phytoplankton: photosynthetically availableradiation (PAR from the SeaWiFS sensor) and sea surface temperature (SST fromthe Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer, AVHRR). In situ temperature,nutrient, and chlorophyll a concentration data from oceanographic cruises carriedout in Nuevo (four cruises: 1982?1983), San José (four cruises: 1984?1985), andSan Matías (four cruises: 1986?1994) gulfs were also used to explain the observedpatterns. Cycles of phytoplankton and SST over the NPG are typical of temperatewaters. However, Chla-sat cycles were different among gulfs. At the same time,Chla-sat cycles over the gulfs were different from that over the adjacent middlecontinental shelf. SMG was characterized by a bimodal cycle, although in wintermean values were higher than the mean concentration for the whole area. SJG wascharacterized by a unimodal cycle with relatively high values of chlorophyll aconcentration in spring-summer. NG showed a bimodal cycle with maximum valuesin autumn and spring and minimum values in winter and summer. Particularities ofeach gulf are discussed in relation to the seasonal hydrographic characteristics ofthe water column (temperature and nutrients) and in the context of the Patagonianshelf ecosystem.Fil: Williams, Gabriela Noemí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Solis, Miriam Edith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Esteves, Jose Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentin