Natural growth rates in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba): II. Predictive models based on food, temperature, body length, sex, and maturity stage

We used the instantaneous growth rate method to determine the effects of food, temperature, krill length, sex, and maturity stage on in situ summer growth of krill across the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. The main aims were to examine the separate effects of each variable and to generate a predictive model of growth based on satellite-derivable environmental data. Both growth increments in length on moulting (GIs) and daily growth rates (DGRs, mm d-1) ranged greatly among the 59 swarms, from 0.58–15% and 0.013–0.32 mm d-1. However, all swarms maintained positive mean growth, even those in the low chlorophyll a (Chl a) zone of the central Scotia Sea. Among a suite of indices of food quantity and quality, large-scale monthly Chl a values from SeaWiFS predicted krill growth the best. Across our study area, the great contrast between bloom and nonbloom regions was a major factor driving variation in growth rates, obscuring more subtle effects of food quality. GIs and DGRs decreased with increasing krill length and decreased above a temperature optimum of 0.5°C. This probably reflects the onset of thermal stress at the northern limit of krill’s range. Thus, growth rates were fastest in the ice edge blooms of the southern Scotia Sea and not at South Georgia as previously suggested. This reflects both the smaller size of the krill and the colder water in the south being optimum for growth. Males tended to have higher GIs than females but longer intermoult periods, leading to similar DGRs between sexes. DGRs of equivalent-size krill tended to decrease with maturity stage, suggesting the progressive allocation of energy toward reproduction rather than somatic growth. Our maximum DGRs are higher than most literature values, equating to a 5.7% increase in mass per day. This value fits within a realistic energy budget, suggesting a maximum carbon ration of ~20% d-1. Over the whole Scotia Sea/South Georgia area, the gross turnover of krill biomass was ~1% d-1

Orchestrated experience-driven Arc responses are disrupted in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Experience-induced expression of immediate-early gene Arc/Arg3.1 is known to play a pivotal role in the consolidation of memory. Here we use in-vivo longitudinal multiphoton imaging to show orchestrated activity-dependent expression of Arc in the mouse extrastriate visual cortex in response to a structured visual stimulation. In wild-type mice, the amplitude of the Arc response in individual neurons strongly predicts the probability of reactivation by a subsequent presentation of the same stimulus. In a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, this association is markedly disrupted in the cortex specifically near senile plaques. Neurons in the vicinity of plaques are less likely to respond but, paradoxically, there is stronger response in those few neurons around plaques that do respond. To the extent that the orchestrated pattern of Arc expression reflects nervous system responses to, and physiological consolidation of, behavioral experience, the disruption in Arc patterns reveals plaque-associated interference with neural network integration

Contrasting primary production regimes around South Georgia, Southern Ocean: large blooms versus high nutrient, low chlorophyll waters

During the austral summer of 2002, a large and persistent phytoplankton bloom was detected with SeaWiFS imagery in the Georgia Basin to the north-west of South Georgia, while waters to the east of the island were relatively unproductive. A British Antarctic Survey research cruise in January 2002 confirmed this west/east difference with production values of up to 2.5 g C m(-2) d(-1) and chlorophyll a (chl a) values up to 15 mg m(-3) at stations to the northwest of the island and 0.17 g C m(-2) d(-1) and 1.3 mg chl a m(-3) to the northeast. These differences were not attributable to light limitation as mixed layer depth never exceeded critical depth. Instead, substantial nutrient depletions to the northwest of the island compared with the northeast suggested a difference in nutrient use between the two regions. The exceedingly high nutrient depletions (to < 6.0 and 0.3 mmol m(-3) for NO3-N and PO4-P, respectively) measured to the northwest were associated with an anticyclonic eddy situated over the Northwest Georgia Rise. Furthermore, differences in NO3-N:PO4-P depletion ratios suggested a greater ability in the northwest phytoplankton to utilise NO3-N, and a greater dependence on NH4-N at the northeast stations. Three distinct station groups were identified around the island based on watermass and size-fractionated chlorophyll. To the east, waters were characterised by a high proportion of microplankton and low NO3-N:PO4-P depletion ratios, to the west, by either a high proportion of microplankton and high NO3-N:PO4-P depletion ratios, or a high proportion of nanoplankton and moderate NO3-N:PO4-P depletion ratios. We consider this to be indicative of greater Fe availability, promoting NO3-N use, to the northwest of South Georgia. However, an absence of microplankton over the western shelf regions may be due to size selective grazing by krill. Our field data, in conjunction with SeaWiFS imagery, indicated that the Georgia Basin phytoplankton most likely originated upstream of South Georgia. Subsequent interactions with the Northwest Georgia Rise and South Georgia's south-western shelf promoted increased growth that converged to the west of the island to form a large bloom in the Georgia Basin

SeaWiFs in the southern ocean: spatial and temporal variability in phytoplankton biomass around South Georgia

SeaWiFS was used to examine the spatial and temporal distribution of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentrations around the island of South Georgia during four summers between October 1997 and March 2001. A comparison was made between SeaWiFS and ship-collected (in situ) chl-a gathered during three of these seasons. A significant correlation was found between daily SeaWiFS and in situ match-ups (r(2) = 0.62). At low chl-a concentrations ( 5 mg m(-3)). Analysis of SeaWiFS data from two survey boxes (the Western and Eastern Core Boxes) sampled during cruises indicated significant differences between seasons and regions; the 1999 and 2000 seasons were nearly twice as productive as the 1998 and 2001 seasons. In addition, phytoplankton biomass was significantly higher in the Western (similar to1.4 mg m(-3)) than in the Eastern Core Box (similar to0.6 mg m(-3)). These seasonal and regional differences also were reflected in the distribution of copepods, one of the major zooplankton groups around South Georgia. SeaWiFS revealed patterns of growth outside of the survey boxes and cruise periods (January only). Blooms regularly occurred to the southwest and directly north of the island, and occasionally occupied the entire area between South Georgia and the Polar Front. In addition, blooms took place any time between October and March but not continuously. Primary production at South Georgia is mainly a local feature with little growth initiated upstream. However, chl-a may remain elevated downstream of the island (similar to40degreesW) as part of a continuous feature along the Polar Front to the 0degrees meridian. The passage of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current over the ridge and shelf waters in the vicinity of South Georgia may contribute micronutrients such as iron, and could partially explain the elevated chl-a levels associated with the island. We also examine the role of temperature, light and grazing on controlling phytoplankton productivity in this region of the Southern Ocean

Two-component modeling of the optical properties of a diatom bloom in the Southern Ocean

Diatom cells have distinctive optical characteristics, originating from their relatively large cell size, fucoxanthin content and silica cell wall. It has been proposed that diatom-dominated phytoplankton blooms can be identified by optical remote sensing and that specifically tuned chlorophyll and primary production algorithms should be applied in regions where these blooms are present. However there have been few studies on how the optical properties of diatom blooms change as they progress from active growth to senescence, and it is unlikely that measurements on laboratory cultures encompass the full range of physiological states found in natural waters. We have therefore examined the inherent optical properties (IOPs) of the waters around the island of South Georgia at the end of the spring diatom bloom. Considerable variability was found in the relationships between the inherent optical properties and analytically determined chlorophyll a concentrations even in the surface layer, which meant that the usual bio-optical assumptions for Case 1 waters did not apply. To account for this variability, phytoplankton absorption and scattering were modeled as a two-component mixture, with the components representing actively growing and senescent material. The specific inherent optical properties of the two components were derived by linear regression of total IOPs against chlorophyll concentration and a fraction of the suspended mineral concentration. These specific IOPs were used to develop radiative transfer models of diatom blooms in varying stages of growth and senescence. Remote sensing reflectances calculated using this technique confirmed the tendency of the standard algorithms employed in SeaWiFS, MODIS and MERIS data processing to under-estimate near-surface chlorophyll concentrations in diatom blooms. However the inclusion of increasing proportions of senescent material had a significant effect on algorithm performance only at chlorophyll concentrations below 10 mg m − 3 . Optical depths predicted by the model around South Georgia were 9 +/− 2 m at 512 nm, indicating that a large fraction of the phytoplankton biomass was located below the depth from which the remote sensing signals originated

Two-component modeling of the optical properties of a diatom bloom in the Southern ocean

Diatom cells have distinctive optical characteristics, originating from their relatively large cell size, fucoxanthin content and silica cell wall. It has been proposed that diatom-dominated phytoplankton blooms can be identified by optical remote sensing and that specifically tuned chlorophyll and primary production algorithms should be applied in regions where these blooms are present. However there have been few studies on how the optical properties of diatom blooms change as they progress from active growth to senescence, and it is unlikely that measurements on laboratory cultures encompass the full range of physiological states found in natural waters. We have therefore examined the inherent optical properties (IOPs) of the waters around the island of South Georgia at the end of the spring diatom bloom. Considerable variability was found in the relationships between the inherent optical properties and analytically determined chlorophyll a concentrations even in the surface layer, which meant that the usual bio-optical assumptions for Case 1 waters did not apply. To account for this variability, phytoplankton absorption and scattering were modeled as a two-component mixture, with the components representing actively growing and senescent material. The specific inherent optical properties of the two components were derived by linear regression of total IOPs against chlorophyll concentration and a fraction of the suspended mineral concentration. These specific IOPs were used to develop radiative transfer models of diatom blooms in varying stages of growth and senescence. Remote sensing reflectances calculated using this technique confirmed the tendency of the standard algorithms employed in SeaWiFS, MODIS and MERIS data processing to under-estimate near-surface chlorophyll concentrations in diatom blooms. However the inclusion of increasing proportions of senescent material had a significant effect on algorithm performance only at chlorophyll concentrations below 10 mg m(-3). Optical depths predicted by the model around South Georgia were 9+/-2 m at 512 nm, indicating that a large fraction of the phytoplankton biomass was located below the depth from which the remote sensing signals originated. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Primary production across the Scotia Sea in relation to the physico-chemical environment

During the austral summer of 2003, a large scale survey of the Scotia Sea was undertaken by the British Antarctic Survey as part of the Southern Ocean Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics programme. This cruise provided a unique opportunity to examine the distribution of phytoplankton biomass and primary production in relation to the physico-chemical environment of the Scotia Sea. Phytoplankton were sampled from a range of oceanographic regimes including the open ocean, in the wake of oceanic islands, across major fronts such as the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front, submarine topographical features such as the South Scotia Ridge and the marginal ice zone. Generally the Scotia Sea was characterised by low biomass ( 28 mmol m− 3) despite favourable environmental conditions for growth caused by shallow mixed layers and deep euphotic depths. Three areas of elevated biomass (77–295 mg chlorophyll-a m− 2) and production (0.73–2.04 g C m− 2 d− 1) as well as substantial macronutrient depletion (e.g., surface nitrate not, vert, similar12 mmol m− 3) were observed during the cruise: to the northwest of the island of South Georgia, to the southwest of South Georgia and further south over the South Scotia Ridge in a region of rapid ice retreat. These productive regions were also characterised by shallow mixed layer depths, although near to South Georgia euphotic depths were reduced due to the high biomass of phytoplankton in the water column. The biomass was composed of over 80% diatoms. We speculate that the contrasting production regimes observed during the cruise were the result of differences in iron availability. Throughout much of the survey area, the eastward flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current is unlikely to have encountered any shallow bathymetric features that may introduce sedimentary iron into the euphotic zone. However, shallow topographic features may cause upwelling of iron into the euphotic zone. This, together with shallow mixed layers and a favourable light environment, may then account for the dense blooms observed near topographic features during our cruise

An anticyclonic circulation above the Northwest Georgia Rise, Southern Ocean

Data from a variety of sources reveal a warm-core anticyclonic circulation above the Northwest Georgia Rise (NWGR), an similar to2000-m high bathymetric feature north of South Georgia. The sense of the circulation is opposite to the general cyclonic flow in the Georgia Basin. The circulation shows the characteristics of a stratified Taylor column: dimensional analysis shows that the local bathymetry and hydrography are conducive to the formation of such. ERS2 altimeter data show that the column, whilst not fully permanent, is nonetheless a recurring feature. High concentrations of chlorophyll-a are observed at the centre of the circulation, indicating that the modulation of the physical environment has significant consequences for the local biogeochemical system via enhanced primary production. Enhanced chlorophyll-a extends in a long plume from the NWGR along pathways indicated by drifters; this passive redistribution may have consequences for the larger (basin-) scale ecosystem

Responses of microplankton community structure to iron addition in the Scotia Sea

The Southern Ocean is largely a High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) region where macronutrient concentrations are high and phytoplankton productivity is low. However, there are productive ‘hot spots’ that sustain large phytoplankton blooms. These areas, maintained by natural iron (Fe) fertilization, are important for the Southern Ocean ecosystem and for driving carbon export. Fe addition on-deck bioassay experiments were conducted on two cruises to the Scotia Sea region of the Southern Ocean (austral spring 2006 and summer 2008) to better understand how Fe controls the microplankton (20–200 μm) community structure on a seasonal basis. Light microscopy and fast-repetition rate fluorometry were used to examine changes in the species composition and physiological status of the microplankton community. Bioassays were carried out in three contrasting regions of the Scotia Sea: (1) a naturally Fe-fertilized, high chlorophyll area downstream (north and northwest) of the Islands of South Georgia (DSG); (2) a low Fe, low chlorophyll area upstream (south) of the Islands of South Georgia (USG); and (3) a naturally Fe-fertilized area north of the South Orkney Islands (SOI). Multivariate statistics were applied to the light microscopy results, showing significant differences between the initial microplankton communities for each of the bioassays. These differences were primarily spatial (between regions) and secondarily temporal (between seasons). Significant microplankton community shifts occurred in three of five bioassays, those in spring and summer USG and in summer DSG only. In summer, USG community responses increased significantly in medium (100–1000 pg C cell−1) and large (>1000 pg C cell−1) diatom species in response to Fe addition. Such a response was consistent with relief from in situ Fe limitation, which favours larger microplankton species with higher Fe requirements and subject to lower grazing pressures. The largest biomass increase in Fe-treated bioassay bottles was in Pseudonitzschia spp., which suggests that this genus may be a particularly important member of the microplankton community in the Scotia Sea

Natural growth rates in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba): I. Improving methodology and predicting intermoult period

We used the instantaneous growth rate method to determine the effects of food, temperature, krill length, sex, and maturity stage on in situ summer growth of krill across the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. The main aims were to examine the separate effects of each variable and to generate a predictive model of growth based on satellite-derivable environmental data. Both growth increments in length on moulting (GIs) and daily growth rates (DGRs, mm d�1) ranged greatly among the 59 swarms, from 0.58–15 % and 0.013–0.32 mm d�1. However, all swarms maintained positive mean growth, even those in the low chlorophyll a (Chl a) zone of the central Scotia Sea. Among a suite of indices of food quantity and quality, large-scale monthly Chl a values from SeaWiFS predicted krill growth the best. Across our study area, the great contrast between bloom and nonbloom regions was a major factor driving variation in growth rates, obscuring more subtle effects of food quality. GIs and DGRs decreased with increasing krill length and decreased above a temperature optimum of 0.5�C. This probably reflects the onset of thermal stress at the northern limit of krill’s range. Thus, growth rates were fastest in the ice edge blooms of the southern Scotia Sea and not at South Georgia as previously suggested. This reflects both the smaller size of the krill and the colder water in the south being optimum for growth. Males tended to have higher GIs than females but longer intermoult periods, leading to similar DGRs between sexes. DGRs of equivalent-siz