Living on Cold Substrata: New Insights and Approaches in the Study of Microphytobenthos Ecophysiology and Ecology in Kongsfjorden

Organisms in shallow waters at high latitudes are under pressure due to climate change. These areas are typically inhabited by microphytobenthos (MPB) communities, composed mainly of diatoms. Only sparse information is available on the ecophysiology and acclimation processes within MPBs from Arctic regions. The physico-chemical environment and the ecology and ecophysiology of benthic diatoms in Kongsfjorden (Svalbard, Norway) are addressed in this review. MPB biofilms cover extensive areas of sediment. They show high rates of primary production, stabilise sediment surfaces against erosion under hydrodynamic forces,and affect the exchange of oxygen and nutrients across the sediment-water interface. Additionally, this phototrophic community represents a key component in the functioning of the Kongsfjorden trophic web, particularly as a major food source for benthic suspension- or deposit-feeders. MPB in Kongsfjorden is confronted with pronounced seasonal variations in solar radiation, low temperatures, and hyposaline (meltwater) conditions in summer, as well as long periods of ice and snow cover in winter. From the few data available, it seems that these organisms can easily cope with these environmental extremes. The underlying physiological mechanisms that allow growth and photosynthesis to continue under widely varying abiotic parameters, along with vertical migration and heterotrophy, and biochemical features such as a pronounced fatty-acid metabolism and silicate incorporation are discussed. Existing gaps in our knowledge of benthic diatoms in Kongsfjorden, such as the chemical ecology of biotic interactions, need to be filled. In addition, since many of the underlying molecular acclimation mechanisms are poorly understood, modern approaches based on transcriptomics, proteomics, and/or metabolomics, in conjunction with cell biological and biochemical techniques, are urgently needed. Climate change models for the Arctic predict other multifactorial stressors, such as an increase in precipitation and permafrost thawing, with consequences for the shallow-water regions. Both precipitation and permafrost thawing are likely to increase nutrient-enriched, turbid freshwater runoff and may locally counteract the expected increase in coastal radiation availability. So far, complex interactions among factors, as well as the full genetic diversity and physiological plasticity of Arctic benthic diatoms, have only rarely been considered. The limited existing information is described and discussed in this review

The diatom genus Proboscia in Antarctic waters

Sundström (1986) erected the genus Proboscia for solenoid diatoms whose valves tapered to a proboscis, but only assigned one species to it, the boreal Rhizosolenia alata Brightwell. We have found three species in the modem Antarctic phytoplankton that are affiliated to Proboscia. One is apparently identical to Sundström's P. alata, whilst P. inermis (Castracane) Jordan & Ligowski comb. nov. and P. truncata (Karsten) Nöthig & Ligowski comb. nov. are easily distinguished on the basis of valve and proboscis morphology. Winter and spring forms seem to be present in all three species, the winter forms being characterised by longer probosces; heterovalvar cells are not unusual. Terminal auxospores are documented for all three species. Similar fossil taxa may also be assignable to Proboscia

New approaches and progress in the use of polar marine diatoms in reconstructing sea ice distribution

Reconstructing the paleo-latitudinal extent of sea ice in the Southern Ocean over time can be accomplished using modern diatom data. However, it is more difficult to extend the utility of diatom proxies farther back in time, to time periods characterized by species that are now extinct, since we are uncertain of the paleoenvironmental affiliation of those species we can’t observe in modern assemblages. We propose several research strategies to strengthen our ability to use diatom data to reconstruct sea ice history. These tactics include the evaluation of specific morphologic characteristics and distinct taxa, as well as the identification of specific adaptations that may have evolved following the initiation of sea ice in the Southern Ocean

Detection of individual dopants in singe-electron devices - a study by KFM observation and simulation

Single electron devices (SEDs) are candidates to become a keystone of future electronics. They are very attractive due to low power consumption, small size or high operating speed. It is even possible to assure compatibility with present CMOS technology when natural potential fluctuations introduced by dopant atoms are used to create quantum dots (QD). However, the main problem of this approach is due to the randomness of dopant distribution which is characteristic for conventional doping techniques. This leads to scattered characteristics of the devices, which precludes from using them in the circuits. In these work we approach the problem of correlating the distribution of QD's with the device characteristics. For that, we investigate with a Kelvin probe force microscope (KFM) the surface potential of Si nanodevice channel in order to understand the potential landscape. Results reveal the features ascribable to individual dopants. These findings are supported also by simulation results

Single-electron transport characteristics in quantum dot arrays due to ionized dopants

Single charge manipulation for useful electronic functionalities has become an exciting and fast-paced direction of research in recent years. In structures with dimensions below about 100 nm, the physics governing the device operation turn out to be strikingly different than in the case of larger devices. The presence of even a single charge may completely suppress current flow due to the basic electronelectron repulsion (so called Coulomb blockade effect) [1]. It is even more exciting to control this effect at the level of single-electron/single-atom interaction. The atomic entity can be one donor present in silicon lattice with a Coulombic potential well. In principle, it can accommodate basically a single electron. We study the electrical behavior of nanoscale-channel silicon-on-insulator field-effect transistors (SOI-FETs) that contain a discrete arrangement of donors. The donors can be utilized as "stepping stones" for the transfer of single charges. This ability opens the doors to a rich world of applications based on the simple interplay of single charges and single atoms, while still utilizing mostly conventional and well established fabrication techniques. In this work, we distinguish the effects of single-electron transport mediated by one or few dopants only. Furthermore, we show how the single-electron/single-donor interaction can be tuned by using the external biases. We demonstrate then by simulation and experiment the feasibility of single-electron/bit transfer operation (single-electron turnstile)

Spring phytoplankton onset after the ice break-up and sea-ice signature (Adélie Land, East Antarctica)

The phytoplankton onset following the spring ice break-up in Adélie Land, East Antarctica, was studied along a short transect, from 400 m off the continent to 5 km offshore, during the austral summer of 2002. Eight days after the ice break-up, some large colonial and solitary diatom cells, known to be associated with land-fast ice and present in downward fluxes, were unable to adapt in ice-free waters, while some other solitary and short-colony forming taxa (e.g., Fragilariopsis curta, F. cylindrus) did develop. Pelagic species were becoming more abundant offshore, replacing the typical sympagic (ice-associated) taxa. Archaeomonad cysts, usually associated with sea ice, were recorded in the surface waters nearshore. Rough weather restricted the data set, but we were able to confirm that some microalgae may be reliable sea-ice indicators and that seeding by sea ice only concerns a few taxa in this coastal area of East Antarctica. Keywords: Ice break-up; phytoplankton; sea-ice signature; East Antarctica (Published: 10 January 2011) Citation: Polar Research 2011, 30, 5910, doi: 10.3402/polar.v30i0.591

Admiralty Bay Benthos Diversity: A census of a complex polar ecosystem

A thorough census of Admiralty Bay benthic biodiversity was completed through the synthesis of data, acquired from more than 30 years of observations. Most of the available records arise from successive Polish and Brazilian Antarctic expeditions organized since 1977 and 1982, respectively, but also include new data from joint collecting efforts during the International Polar Year (2007-2009). Geological and hydrological characteristics of Admiralty Bay and a comprehensive species checklist with detailed data on the distribution and nature of the benthic communities are provided. Approximately 1300 species of benthic organisms (excluding bacteria, fungi and parasites) were recorded from the bay's entire depth range (0-500 m). Generalized classifications and the descriptions of soft-bottom and hard-bottom invertebrate communities are presented. A time-series analysis showed seasonal and interannual changes in the shallow benthic communities, likely to be related to ice formation and ice melt within the bay. As one of the best studied regions in the maritime Antarctic Admiralty Bay represents a legacy site, where continued, systematically integrated data sampling can evaluate the effects of climate change on marine life. Both high species richness and high assemblage diversity of the Admiralty Bay shelf benthic community have been documented against the background of habitat heterogeneity

The overwintering of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, from an ecophysiological perspective

A major aim of this review is to determine which physiological functions are adopted by adults and larvae to survive the winter season with low food supply and their relative importance. A second aim is to clarify the extent to which seasonal variation in larval and adult krill physiology is mediated by environmental factors with a strong seasonality, such as food supply or day light. Experimental studies on adult krill have demonstrated that speciWc physiological adaptations during autumn and winter, such as reduced metabolic rates and feeding activity, are not caused simply by the scarcity of food, as was previously assumed. These adaptations appear to be inXuenced by the local light regime. The physiological functions that larval krill adopt during winter (reduced metabolism, delayed development, lipid utilisation, and variable growth rates) are, in contrast to the adults, under direct control by the available food supply. During winter, the adults often seem to have little association with sea ice (at least until early spring). The larvae, however, feed within sea ice but mainly on the grazers of the ice algal community rather than on the algae themselves. In this respect, a miss-match in timing of the occurrence of the last phytoplankton blooms in autumn and the start of the sea ice formation, as has been increasingly observed in the west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) region, will impact larval krill development during winter in terms of food supply and consequently the krill stock in this region