Unpublished genomic data–how to share?

The field of genomics is often cited as the branch of biology that has led the way in data sharing. In most cases, sequencing data are made publicly available immediately after generation and often before the data generators have completed their analyses. Although the pros of such openness cannot be denied, problems can arise when unpublished genomic data are shared. In this editorial we touch on these issues and discuss the roles and responsibilities of the data generators, data users and journal editors

Retrospective analysis of the quality of reports by author-suggested and non-author-suggested reviewers in journals operating on open or single-blind peer review models.

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether reports from reviewers recommended by authors show a bias in quality and recommendation for editorial decision, compared with reviewers suggested by other parties, and whether reviewer reports for journals operating on open or single-blind peer review models differ with regard to report quality and reviewer recommendations. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of the quality of reviewer reports using an established Review Quality Instrument, and analysis of reviewer recommendations and author satisfaction surveys. SETTING: BioMed Central biology and medical journals. BMC Infectious Diseases and BMC Microbiology are similar in size, rejection rates, impact factors and editorial processes, but the former uses open peer review while the latter uses single-blind peer review. The Journal of Inflammation has operated under both peer review models. SAMPLE: Two hundred reviewer reports submitted to BMC Infectious Diseases, 200 reviewer reports submitted to BMC Microbiology and 400 reviewer reports submitted to the Journal of Inflammation. RESULTS: For each journal, author-suggested reviewers provided reports of comparable quality to non-author-suggested reviewers, but were significantly more likely to recommend acceptance, irrespective of the peer review model (p<0.0001 for BMC Infectious Diseases, BMC Microbiology and the Journal of Inflammation). For BMC Infectious Diseases, the overall quality of reviewer reports measured by the Review Quality Instrument was 5% higher than for BMC Microbiology (p=0.042). For the Journal of Inflammation, the quality of reports was the same irrespective of the peer review model used. CONCLUSIONS: Reviewers suggested by authors provide reports of comparable quality to non-author-suggested reviewers, but are significantly more likely to recommend acceptance. Open peer review reports for BMC Infectious Diseases were of higher quality than single-blind reports for BMC Microbiology. There was no difference in quality of peer review in the Journal of Inflammation under open peer review compared with single blind

Towards a pan-Arctic inventory of the species diversity of the macro- and megabenthic fauna of the Arctic shelf seas

Although knowledge of Arctic seas has increased tremendously in the past decade, benthic diversity was investigated at regional scales only, and no attempt had been made to examine it across the entire Arctic. We present a first pan-Arctic account of the species diversity of the macro- and megabenthic fauna of the Arctic marginal shelf seas. It is based on an analysis of 25 published and unpublished species-level data sets, together encompassing 14 of the 19 marine Arctic shelf ecoregions and comprising a total of 2636 species, including 847 Arthropoda, 668 Annelida, 392 Mollusca, 228 Echinodermata, and 501 species of other phyla. For the four major phyla, we also analyze the differences in faunal composition and diversity among the ecoregions. Furthermore, we compute gross estimates of the expected species numbers of these phyla on a regional scale. Extrapolated to the entire fauna and study area, we arrive at the conservative estimate that 3900 to 4700 macro- and megabenthic species can be expected to occur on the Arctic shelves. These numbers are smaller than analogous estimates for the Antarctic shelf but the difference is on the order of about two and thus less pronounced than previously assumed. On a global scale, the Arctic shelves are characterized by intermediate macro- and megabenthic species numbers. Our preliminary pan-Arctic inventory provides an urgently needed assessment of current diversity patterns that can be used by future investigations for evaluating the effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities in the Arctic

Megabenthic standing stocks and organic carbon demand in a warming Arctic

© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Mazurkiewicz, M., Meyer-Kaiser, K., Sweetman, A. K., Renaud, P. E., & Wlodarska-Kowalczuk, M. Megabenthic standing stocks and organic carbon demand in a warming Arctic. Progress in Oceanography, 196, (2021): 102616, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102616.Benthic megafauna (organisms large enough to be visible on seabed photographs) are regarded as important for carbon cycling in benthic habitats. They are a food source for many predators like fish and marine mammals and may stimulate carbon mineralization in sediment by bioturbation. However, few studies address these basic characteristics of megabenthos quantitatively. This study quantifies the spatial variability in standing stock (biomass) and functioning (secondary production, respiration and carbon demand) of benthic megafauna in fjords and on the continental shelf of Svalbard. Organisms were measured from sea bottom images to assess their biomass using length-weight relationships and volumetric methods, then respiration and production were estimated with empirical artificial neural network models. Significantly higher standing stock, secondary production, respiration, and carbon demand were found in fjords categorized as ‘cold’ (as defined by water temperature, prevailing water masses and ice-cover) than in the ‘warm’ ones. Cold fjords were dominated by Echinodermata, while in warm fjords Crustacea prevailed. All megafaunal community parameters were negatively correlated with bottom temperature. It was not possible to assess specific direct impacts of temperature, and indirect effects may be more relevant to our findings. These include temperature-driven changes in primary production, ice cover and ice-algae production or predation pressure from carnivores expanding their ranges northward. The progression of climate warming may affect megafaunal communities by reducing their biomass, production, and carbon demand and have profound effects on ecosystem functioning.Financing was provided by the University Centre in Svalbard and Akvaplan-niva (to PER), by the National Science Centre grant number UMO-2016/23/B/NZ8/02410 (AbeFun), and statutory funds of the Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences (to MWK)

Research Integrity and Peer Review—past highlights and future directions

Abstract In May 2016, we launched Research Integrity and Peer Review, an international, open access journal with fully open peer review (reviewers are identified on their reports and named reports are published alongside the article) to provide a home for research on research and publication ethics, research reporting, and research on peer review. As the journal enters its third year, we reflect on recent events and highlights for the journal and explore how the journal is faring in terms of gender and diversity in peer review. We also share the particular interests of our Editors-in-Chief regarding models of peer review, reporting quality, common research integrity issues that arise during the publishing process, and how people interact with the published literature. We continue to encourage further research into peer review, research and publication ethics and research reporting, as we believe that all new initiatives should be evidence-based. We also remain open to constructive discussions of the developments in the field that offer new solutions

Benthic fauna in soft sediments from the Barents and Pechora Seas

Benthic infaunal abundance data from 138 stations in the Barents Sea and surrounding waters are provided in a public database. All samples were collected with a 0.1 m2 van Veen grab and identification was carried out by professional taxonomists. Most abundance data are presented at the species level

Kelp forest as a habitat for mobile epifauna: case study of Caprella septentrionalis

Distribution and abundance of the amphipod Caprella septentrionalis in relation to environmental conditions and habitat preferences were investigated in a kelp forest in Hornsund, Spitsbergen. Three sampling sites differed in hydrodynamics, organic and inorganic suspension concentration, and sedimentation rates. None of these abiotic factors or species of a macroalgal host appeared to have a significant influence on C. septentrionalis abundance and size range. An apparent preference towards the blade parts of the algal thalli was observed. These results support the idea of C. septentrionalis as a generalist Arctic&#x2013;boreal species that takes advantage of the protective nature of kelp forests