The benthic food web connects the estuarine habitat mosaic to adjacent ecosystems

Energy flows from land to sea and between pelagic and benthic environments have the potential to increase the connectivity between estuaries and adjacent ecosystems as well as among estuarine habitats. To identify such energy flows and the main trophic pathways of energy transfer in the Minho River estuary, we investigated the spatial and temporal fluctuations of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in benthic (and their potential food sources) and epibenthic consumers. Sampling was conducted along the estuarine salinity gradient from winter to summer of 2011. We found that the carbon (delta 13C = 13C/12C) and nitrogen (delta 15N = 15N/14N) stable isotope ratios of the most abundant benthic and epibenthic consumers varied along the salinity gradient. The delta 13C values increased seaward, whereas the opposite pattern was found for the delta 15N, especially during the summer. The stable isotope ratios revealed two trophic pathways in the Minho estuary food web. The first pathway is supported by phytoplankton and represented by filter feeders such as zooplankton and some deposit feeders, particularly amphipods and polychaetes. The second pathway is supported by detritus and composed essentially of deposit feeders, which by being consumed, allow detritus to be incorporated into higher trophic levels. Spatial and temporal feeding variations in the estuarine benthic food web are driven by hydrology and proximity to adjacent ecosystems (terrestrial, marine). During high river discharge periods, the delta 13CPOC (ca. -28 parts per thousand) and C: NPOM (>10) values suggested an increase of terrestrial-derived OM to the particulate OM pool, which was then used by suspension feeders. During low river discharge periods, marine intrusion increased upriver, which was reflected in benthic consumers' 13C-enriched stable isotope values. No relationship was found between food quality (phytoplankton vs. detritus) and food chain length because the lowest and highest values were associated with freshwater and saltmarsh areas, respectively, both dominated by the detrital pathway. This study demonstrates that benthic consumers enhance the connectivity between estuaries and its adjacent ecosystems by utilizing subsidies of terrestrial and marine origin and that benthic-pelagic coupling is an important energy transfer mechanism to the benthic food web.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perch or plankton: top-down control of Daphnia by yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) or Bythotrephes cederstroemi in an inland lake?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73542/1/j.1365-2427.2001.00716.x.pd

Estimation of Bottom Trawl Catch Efficiency for Two Demersal Fishes, the Atlantic Croaker and White Perch, in Chesapeake Bay

The use of fisheries-independent trawl survey data to estimate fish abundance in shallow coastal systems can present challenges for producing reliable population estimates. We used hydroacoustic and trawl data to estimate the catch efficiency of a demersal trawl that is presently used in surveys to support stock assessments in Chesapeake Bay, USA. Specifically, we determined the efficiency of catching Atlantic croakers Micropogonias undulatus and white perch Morone americana, two of the most common species captured in the trawl survey. Monotypic hauls (\u3e90% by abundance) from 2003 to 2004 were used to estimate catch efficiency, defined as the ratio of the observed catch to the number of fish encountered by the trawl, which we estimated by deploying a scientific echosounder directly in front of the trawl net. The catch efficiency estimates ranged from 0.18 to 1.26 for Atlantic croakers (n - 29 tows) and from 0.11 to 0.60 for white perch (n = 7 tows). For Atlantic croakers, Spearman\u27s rank correlation between the total and predicted catch was 0.53. A post hoc analysis of the Atlantic croaker efficiency estimates based on general linear modeling suggests that trawl efficiency is a function of fish behavior, gear geometry, and habitat. Efficiency declined with increasing fish density and increasing trawl width; to lesser extent, an increasing proportion of fines in the sea bed and decreasing depth were also associated with declines in efficiency. We conclude that because catch efficiency is variable, the trawl should be integrated with hydroacoustics to obtain improved population data

Estuarine consumers utilize marine, estuarine and terrestrial organic matter and provide connectivity among these food webs

The flux of organic matter (OM) across ecosystem boundaries can influence estuarine food web dynamics and productivity. However, this process is seldom investigated taking into account all the adjacent ecosystems (e.g. ocean, river, land) and different hydrological settings (i.e. river discharge). Therefore, we aimed to quantify the contribution of autochthonous and allochthonous OM to the lower food web along the estuarine salinity gradient, under different river discharge conditions. The carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotope ratios of pelagic (zooplankton) and benthic (Corbicula fluminea) primary consumers indicated that they rely on a mixture of autochthonous and allochthonous OM, including terrestrial-derived OM. Unexpectedly, the highest contribution of terrestrial-derived OM to the estuarine food web was observed during a low river discharge period (up to 70%), that succeeded a large winter flood, showing that extreme weather events may produce prolonged effects on estuarine food webs. The contribution of marine-derived OM was higher during low river discharge periods (up to 88%) and was restricted to the seaward end of the estuary. Concomitantly, the contribution of phytoplankton to primary consumers was the highest observed (up to 91%). Further, both pelagic and benthic consumers also relied on benthic C (i.e. sediment OM and microphytobenthos). This study demonstrates that primary consumers enhance connectivity between estuarine ecosystems by utilizing subsidies of terrestrial and marine origin, and also between estuarine habitats through reliance on pelagic and benthic OM

Beneficial Use Impairments, Degradation of Aesthetics, and Human Health: A Review

In environmental programs and blue/green space development, improving aesthetics is a common goal. There is broad interest in understanding the relationship between ecologically sound environments that people find aesthetically pleasing and human health. However, to date, few studies have adequately assessed this relationship, and no summaries or reviews of this line of research exist. Therefore, we undertook a systematic literature review to determine the state of science and identify critical needs to advance the field. Keywords identified from both aesthetics and loss of habitat literature were searched in PubMed and Web of Science databases. After full text screening, 19 studies were included in the review. Most of these studies examined some measure of greenspace/bluespace, primarily proximity. Only one study investigated the impacts of making space quality changes on a health metric. The studies identified for this review continue to support links between green space and various metrics of health, with additional evidence for blue space benefits on health. No studies to date adequately address questions surrounding the beneficial use impairment degradation of aesthetics and how improving either environmental quality (remediation) or ecological health (restoration) efforts have impacted the health of those communities

Trophic ecology of common bottlenose dolphins in a pelagic insular environment inferred by stable isotopes

The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a top marine predator widely dispersed in coastal and pelagic habitats and with a generalist feeding behavior. Yet, information on the trophic ecology of animals inhabiting pelagic environments is still scarce. Using carbon (& delta;C-13: C-13/C-12) and nitrogen (& delta;N-15: N-15/N-14) stable isotope ratios, we identified and quantified the main groups of prey assimilated by bottlenose dolphins inhabiting an oceanic habitat (Madeira Island, East Atlantic). Bottlenose dolphins assimilated pelagic, schooling fish (such as blue jack mackerel, Trachurus picturatus) and mesopelagic and demersal squids, which reinforces the pelagic dietary composition of insular/oceanic dolphins. Also, intra-seasonal differences were found in their stable isotope ratios, which suggest intraspecific variability in the feeding behavior among individuals living in the same area. Sex was not the main factor contributing to these differences, suggesting the lack of trophic niche segregation between adult males and females in this offshore environment. Nonetheless, further studies including different life stages and information on the ecophysiological requirements are necessary to disclose the factors responsible for the observed variability. This study showed that insular dolphins fed primarily on economically important pelagic prey, highlighting the need of developing management strategies that integrate conservation in fisheries plans.NORTE01-0145-FEDER-000031; M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000001-OOM; LA/P/0069/2020; M1420-09-5369-FSE-000002info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Alternate Trophic Pathways Support Enhanced Bathypelagic Biomass Over a Mid-Ocean Ridge System

A classic paradigm of oceanic ecology is that pelagic animal biomass decreases exponentially with depth. Results of a muti-year study of the distribution and ecology of the pelagic fauna over the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), from Iceland to the Azores, revealed that water column biomass maxima can occur at deep meso- and bathypelagic depths (\u3e750 m). Further, topographic association of the deep-pelagic fauna occurs at some locations. For example, bathypelagic fish abundance and biomass maxima were observed within the benthic boundary layer (\u3c200 m above the bottom) during the 2004 G.O. Sars MAR-ECO expedition. Results of a pelagic food-web model over the MAR suggest that alternate trophic pathways contribute significantly to this deep biomass maxima. Consumption of decapod crustacea and gelatinous zooplankton represented major portions of the total consumption by pelagic fishes. Stable isotope analysis of 63 species, from zooplankton to large benthic predators, suggest short food chains and high trophic efficiency may account for enhanced deep-pelagic biomass

Deep-Sea Fishes of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Trophic Structure and Interactions

Because deep-sea fisheries are increasing as coastal fisheries decline, fisheries scientists need baseline data on deep-sea ecosystems prior to further development of deep-water fisheries. We present preliminary results and ongoing efforts to characterize the trophic structure and energy flow of the pelagic ecosystems of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, from Iceland to the Azores. This study is one component of the international CoML field project MAR-ECO (www.mar-eco.no). We found a diverse deep-pelagic fish fauna (205 spp.), with unexpectedly high bathypelagic fish biomass and spatial complexity. Based on literature reports of species present, crustacean planktivory is the dominant trophic guild (79% of individuals 47% of species), primarily within the mesopelagial. Gelativory was second (12% ind., 4% spp.), primarily within the bathypelagial. Omnivory (3%, 13%), shrimpivory (2%, 4%), and piscivory (1%, 21%) were the remaining major feeding guilds. The diets of 22 spp., primarily bathypelagic, are unknown. Based on stable isotope analysis of fish tissue, two distinct trophic modes were identified: a mode at trophic level 4 (18%; crustacean and gelatinous planktivory) and a mode at trophic level 4.5-5.0 (58%; crustacean planktivory and piscivory). The top piscivores were bathypelagic fishes. In terms of fish biomass, the gelativorous taxa dominated, followed by crustacean zooplanktivores and piscivores. Quantitative comparisons of the different trophic pathways are not possible at present, given our limited knowledge of feeding rates of most species. However, microscopical and molecular analyses are currently ongoing to fill this void, including development of techniques to identify/quantify gelatinous prey as an alternate trophic pathway

Access to primary care is associated with better autoimmune hepatitis outcomes in an urban county hospital

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune hepatitis causes chronic hepatitis and often leads to cirrhosis and death without treatment. We wanted to see if having access to primary care or insurance prior to diagnosis is associated with better outcomes for patients in an urban, public hospital with mostly socioeconomically disadvantaged Hispanic patients. METHODS: We did a retrospective study at our institution. Kaplan Meier survival analysis was done looking at transplant-free overall survival for patients diagnosed at our institution. The log-rank test was done to compare survival between patients with and without prior access to primary care, and between patients with and without insurance at diagnosis. RESULTS: Overall 5- and 10-year transplant-free overall survival was 91 % (95 % CI, 83-100 %) and 75 % (95 % CI, 50-99 %), respectively. Patients with primary care prior to diagnosis had significantly better transplant-free overall survival than those without (log rank test p = 0.019). Patients with primary care also had better clinical markers at diagnosis. Having insurance at diagnosis was not associated with better outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes of autoimmune hepatitis are poor in our setting but access to primary care prior to diagnosis was associated with better outcomes. This is likely due to the important role that primary care plays in detecting disease and initiating treatment earlier. With the expansion of access to healthcare that the Affordable Care Act provides, future patients are likely to do better with even rare diseases like autoimmune hepatitis

Mapping the availability of translated versions of posttraumatic stress disorder screening questionnaires for adults: A scoping review

Background: The most used questionnaires for PTSD screening in adults were developed in English. Although many of these questionnaires were translated into other languages, the procedures used to translate them and to evaluate their reliability and validity have not been consistently documented. This comprehensive scoping review aimed to compile the currently available translated and evaluated questionnaires used for PTSD screening, and highlight important gaps in the literature. Objective: This review aimed to map the availability of translated and evaluated screening questionnaires for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for adults. Methods: All peer-reviewed studies in which a PTSD screening questionnaire for adults was translated, and which reported at least one result of a qualitative and /or quantitative evaluation procedure were included. The literature was searched using Embase, MEDLINE, and APA PsycInfo, citation searches and contributions from study team members. There were no restrictions regarding the target languages of the translations. Data on the translation procedure, the qualitative evaluation, the quantitative evaluation (dimensionality of the questionnaire, reliability, and performance), and open access were extracted. Results: A total of 866 studies were screened, of which 126 were included. Collectively, 128 translations of 12 different questionnaires were found. Out of these, 105 (83.3%) studies used a forward and backward translation procedure, 120 (95.2%) assessed the reliability of the translated questionnaire, 60 (47.6%) the dimensionality, 49 (38.9%) the performance, and 42 (33.3%) used qualitative evaluation procedures. Thirty-four questionnaires (27.0%) were either freely available or accessible on request. Conclusions: The analyses conducted and the description of the methods and results varied substantially, making a quality assessment impractical. Translations into languages spoken in middle- or low-income countries were underrepresented. In addition, only a small proportion of all translated questionnaires were available. Given the need for freely accessible translations, an online repository was developed