Der lebende Ozean : Biodiversität in marinen Ökosystemen

Der Ozean gehört zu den am wenigsten erforschten Regionen unseres Planeten, obwohl er für den Wärme- und Energiehaushalt der Erde und die Gemeinschaft ihrer Bewohner eine wichtige Rolle spielt. Der Mensch fischt und badet vor allem in den Flachmeeren. Dort ist auch die Schifffahrt am dichtesten. Doch obwohl die Flachmeere nur etwa 5 Prozent des Ozeanbodens ausmachen, wirken sich Veränderungen empfindlich auf alle Meeresbewohner aus, bis in die dunkle, kalte und nahrungsarme Tiefsee

South-western Indian Ocean – Eastern Atlantic Ocean : research vessel Meteor, cruise No. M63 ; 24.01. - 30.03.2005

Die Meteor-Reise 63 befasst sich mit zwei unterschiedlichen Themen. Zum einen soll die Klimageschichte des Agulhas-Stroms sowie die spätpleistozäne und holozäne Klimage-schichte rekonstruiert und werden. Der zweite Fahrtabschnitt befasst sich mit Biodiversi-tätsgradienten in der abyssalen Tiefsee des Atlantik. Die Reise Meteor 63 soll somit Grundlagenwissen zur marinen Umwelt der Tiefsee um Afrika liefern, sowie deren kurz- und langfristige Variabilität zu erklären helfen.The Meteor Cruise 63 deals with two different subjects. One of them is the climate history of the Agulhas current as well as the reconstruction of the late Pleistocene and Holocene climate development. The second subject deals with biodiversity gradients in the abyssal deep sea of the Atlantic Ocean. The Cruise 63 of R. V. "Meteor" will thus produce basic data on the marine environment in the deep sea around Africa and help to understand short- and long-term variability of these factors

Biology and biogeochemistry of the eastern mediterranean sea : research vessel Meteor, cruise No. M71 ; 11. Dez. 2006 - 04. Feb. 2007

Die METEOR-Fahrt 71 umfasst 3 biologisch und biogeochemisch orientierte Fahrtabschnitte mit insgesamt 50 Schiffstagen im östlichen Mittelmeer und hat folgende Ziele: Der Abschnitt METEOR 71-1 dient der physikalischen, biogeochemischen und biologischen Probengewinnung im Bereich der Anaximander Mountains. Es gibt nur einige wenige Seeberge im östlichen Mittelmeeres, die weitgehend isoliert vom übrigen Ozean sind und in einer Region liegen, die sich durch ein im Vergleich zum Weltozean sehr warmes Tiefenwasser von rund 14 °C auszeichnet. Hauptziel der Untersuchungen an einem Gipfel der Anaximander Mountains ist die Beantwortung der Frage, ob sich ein Seeberg-Ökosystem in einer oligotrophen Region mit warmen Tiefenwasser in Bezug auf seinen Einfluß auf das umgebende Strömungs- und Nährstoffregime, die Produktivität und Verteilung der Nahrungsketten, sowie in Bezug auf die Größe der „Sphere of interference“, das heißt dem Einflußbereich des Seamounts auf den umgebenden Wasserkörper, ähnlich verhält wie entsprechende Erhebungen im Nordostatlantik. Die Expedition METEOR 71-2 beschäftigt sich mit der Biodiversität in der Tiefsee des östlichen Mittelmeeres und ihren Steuerungsfaktoren (Tiefe, Küstenabstand, Nahrungsverfügbarkeit). Zum einen geht es um eine möglichst vollständige Erfassung der Artenzusammensetzung in zwei Referenzregionen durch Vielfachbeprobung an der selben Stelle, zum anderen um die Unterschiede des Arteninventars und des Artenreichtums in Abhängigkeit von der Tiefe und vom Küstenabstand. Die Arbeitsgebiete von jeweils 17 sm x 5 sm sind das Ierapetra-Becken südlich Kreta. (> 4000m Tiefe) und ein Gebiet der gleichen Größe weiter südlich (2800 m Tiefe doppelter Abstand zur Küste).Die Untersuchungen berücksichtigen alle Grössenklassen des Benthos (Mega-, Macro-, Meiound Nanofauna), um Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede in der Abhängigkeit der Biodiversität von Ökofaktoren zu erkennen. Damit sollen die Struktur und die Funktion der Lebensgemeinschaften am äußerst oligotrophen Tiefseeboden des levantinischen Beckens besser und detaillierter verstanden werden. Arbeiten der Expedition METEOR 71-3 zielen auf die Klärung der Frage, ob im heutigen Mittelmeer Phosphatverlust und unvollständige Nitratnutzung, oder Stickstoff-Fixierung im ultraoligotrophen östlichen Mittelmeer für isotopisch abgereicherte d15N Signaturen von Sedimenten und Schwebstoffen verantwortlich sind. Ein Nebenziel ist die Gewinnung zusätzlicher Oberflächensedimente, um die Datenbasis für Eichungen des UK´37-Index und Abschätzung der Nährstoffakkumulationsraten in Sedimenten im Mittelmeers zu verbessern. Dazu werden auf Schnitten durch das östliche Mittelmeer Nährstoffprofile beprobt, Proben für Messungen der 15N/14N-Verhältnisse in Nitrat, gelöstem organischem Stickstoff, in Sinkstoffen und Oberflächensedimenten gewonnen, Untersuchungen des Phytoplanktons sowie Messungen von N2-Fixierungsraten durchgeführt. Weiter werden molekulare Techniken eingesetzt, um das Vorhandensein und die Transkription der nifH-Gene für das Nitrogenase-Enzym diazotropher Organismen zu überprüfen. Die Methoden zielen auf das nifHGen und seine Transkripte und geben Aufschluss über das Potential für Stickstofffixierung. Die Ergebnisse werden zeigen, ob das Gen aktiv in der Plankton-Gemeinschaft transkribiert wird. Ferne wird mit der DNA Sequenzanalyse neben der Anwesenheit auch die Diversität der diazotrophen Organismen etabliert. Schließlich wird im Verlauf der Fahrt an einer Station im Rhodos-Becken eine Sedimentfalle ausgebracht.Meteor expedition 71 has a total of 50 ship days on 3 individual legs. Research is directed towards investigations into deep-sea biology and biogeochemistry of the eastern Mediterra-nean Sea. Goals of the individual legs are: Leg Meteor M71/1 focuses on physical, biogeochemical and biological sampling at the Anaximander Mountains. There are only very few seamount-like structures in the eastern Mediterranean. They are fairly isolated from the world ocean and are located in a region with exceptionally high temperatures of 14 °C in the deep-water layers. The primary goal of the studies at one peak of the Anaximander Mountains is to assess if a seamount ecosystem in an oligotrophic region with a warm deep-water layer is comparable with similar topographic feature in the NEAtlantic, which have been studied within the EU funded project OASIS. In particular, we plan to study if these systems in different oceanographic regimes have similar impacts on the current field and on the particle flux, and if they are similar with regard to their productivity, the distribution of their food webs and their sphere of interference, i.e. the extention of the space which is affected by seamount processes. Leg METEOR 71-2 studies the biodiversity of the deep sea in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and controlling factors (water depth, distance to land, nutrient availability). One goal is to assess the species composition in two reference fields through repeated sampling of the sea floor. The second goal is to map differences in assemblages and species richness in relation to water depth and distance from land. The two reference fields of 17nm x 5 nm are located in the Ierapetra-Deep south of Crete (water depth >4000 m) and an area of the same size located furhter south (water depth 2800m double distance to the coast)The on-board investigations extend to all size classes of benthic organisms (mega-, macro-, meio-, and nanofauna) in order to search for similarities and differences that determine biodiversity and its relationship with ecosystem boundary conditions. This work will result in an improved and detailed understanding of ecosystem structure and functioning in an ultraoligotrophic sea floor region of the Eastern Mediterranean. Work on M71-3 aims to answer the question whether phosphate loss and incomplete utilisation of nitrate on the one hand, or dinitrogen fixation on the other hand are responsible for unusual nutrient ratios in the water column of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. We also seek to find the reason for unusually depleted 15N/14N ratios in dissolved nitrate, suspended matter and surface sediments of that oligotrophic ocean basin. During a total of 18 days of ship time on r/v METEOR, Leg 3 OF M71 will perfom water column and surface sediment work in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Heraklion-Istanbul). Stations will be aligned on one E-W and two N-S transects and will sample all major basins and water masses. We will analyse water samples for nutrients, and will determine the stable nitrogen isotope composition of dissolved nitrate, suspended matter, and surface sediments. In addition, phytoplankton samples will be taken and experiments will be carried out to determine N2 fixation rates, genetic expressions of nitrogen fixation, and the composition of microbial and algal assemblages. One mooring of sediment traps (Rhodes Gyre) will be deployed and recovered after one year to monitor changes in particle flux and its isotopic signature over a seasonal cycle. An ancillary goal is to sample surface sediments for determinations of diagenetic effects on the 15N/14N signal in combination with analyses of amino acid degradation and calibration of the alkenone unsaturation index UK’ 37

Research vessel Meteor, cruise no. 48 : 6 July - 3 November 2000

Die fünf Abschnitte der Meteor-Reise 48 führen in die Zone der Ostrandzirkulation des Südost-Atlantiks und verknüpfen ozeanografische, biologische, geologische und chemische Arbeiten im Bereich des Auftriebsgebietes vor der südwest-afrikanischen Küste sowie im Pelagial des Angolabeckens und des Kapbeckens. Die Arbeiten konzentrieren sich auf · die Biodiversität von Benthosgemeinschaften in Tiefseebecken, · biogeochemische Stoffkreisläufe und kurzskalige holozäne Klimavariationen im Auftriebsgebiet vor Namibia, · die Dynamik des Angola Domes und des Benguelastromes und die Entstehung des Südäquatorialen Gegenstroms im Atlantik, · die Verteilungen von Spurenelementen und natürlichen Radionukliden im Auftriebsgebiet vor Namibia, · den Einfluss mesoskaliger physikalischer Strukturen und Prozesse auf die Produktion des Zooplanktons im nördlichen Benguela-Auftriebssystem.The five legs of Meteor cruise 48 lead into the eastern boundary circulation of the south-eastern Atlantic, combining oceanographical, biological, geological, and chemical work in the upwelling area off the coast of Namibia and the pelagic region of the Angola and the Cape basin. Studies focus on · biodiversity of the benthos community in deep sea basins, · biogeochemical cycles and short-scale holocene climate variations in the Namibia upwelling region, · dynamics of the Angola dome and the Benguela current, and the formation of the southequatorial contercurrent in the Atlantic, · distributions of (essential) trace elements and natural radionuclides in the Namibia upwelling region · the influence of mesoscale physical structures/processes on the production of zooplankton in the northern Benguela upwelling system

Factors affecting the mechanical and geometrical properties of electrostatically flocked pure chitosan fiber scaffolds

The field of articular cartilage tissue engineering has developed rapidly, and chitosan has become a promising material for scaffold fabrication. For this paper, wet-spun biocompatible chitosan filament yarns were converted into short flock fibers and subsequently electrostatically flocked onto a chitosan substrate, resulting in a pure, highly open, porous, and biodegradable chitosan scaffold. Analyzing the wet-spinning of chitosan revealed its advantages and disadvantages with respect to the fabrication of the fiber-based chitosan scaffolds. The scaffolds were prepared using varying processing parameters and were analyzed in regards to their geometrical and mechanical properties. It was found that the pore sizes were adjustable between 65 and 310 µm, and the compressive strength was in the range 13–57 kPa

Cross-realm assessment of climate change impacts on species' abundance trends

Climate change, land-use change, pollution and exploitation are among the main drivers of species' population trends; however, their relative importance is much debated. We used a unique collection of over 1,000 local population time series in 22 communities across terrestrial, freshwater and marine realms within central Europe to compare the impacts of long-term temperature change and other environmental drivers from 1980 onwards. To disentangle different drivers, we related species' population trends to species- and driver-specific attributes, such as temperature and habitat preference or pollution tolerance. We found a consistent impact of temperature change on the local abundances of terrestrial species. Populations of warm-dwelling species increased more than those of cold-dwelling species. In contrast, impacts of temperature change on aquatic species' abundances were variable. Effects of temperature preference were more consistent in terrestrial communities than effects of habitat preference, suggesting that the impacts of temperature change have become widespread for recent changes in abundance within many terrestrial communities of central Europe.Additionally, we appreciate the open access marine data provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. We thank the following scientists for taxonomic or technical advice: C. Brendel, T. Caprano, R. Claus, K. Desender, A. Flakus, P. R. Flakus, S. Fritz, E.-M. Gerstner, J.-P. Maelfait, E.-L. Neuschulz, S. Pauls, C. Printzen, I. Schmitt and H. Turin, and I. Bartomeus for comments on a previous version of the manuscript. R.A. was supported by the EUproject LIMNOTIP funded under the seventh European Commission Framework Programme (FP7) ERA-Net Scheme (Biodiversa, 01LC1207A) and the long-term ecological research program at the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB). R.W.B. was supported by the Scottish Government Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) through Theme 3 of their Strategic Research Programme. S.D. acknowledges support of the German Research Foundation DFG (grant DO 1880/1-1). S.S. acknowledges the support from the FP7 project EU BON (grant no. 308454). S.K., I.Kü. and O.S. acknowledge funding thorough the Helmholtz Association’s Programme Oriented Funding, Topic ‘Land use, biodiversity, and ecosystem services: Sustaining human livelihoods’. O.S. also acknowledges the support from FP7 via the Integrated Project STEP (grant no. 244090). D.E.B. was funded by a Landes–Offensive zur Entwicklung Wissenschaftlich–ökonomischer Exzellenz (LOEWE) excellence initiative of the Hessian Ministry for Science and the Arts and the German Research Foundation (DFG: Grant no. BO 1221/23-1).Peer Reviewe

Early mobilisation in critically ill COVID-19 patients: a subanalysis of the ESICM-initiated UNITE-COVID observational study

Background Early mobilisation (EM) is an intervention that may improve the outcome of critically ill patients. There is limited data on EM in COVID-19 patients and its use during the first pandemic wave. Methods This is a pre-planned subanalysis of the ESICM UNITE-COVID, an international multicenter observational study involving critically ill COVID-19 patients in the ICU between February 15th and May 15th, 2020. We analysed variables associated with the initiation of EM (within 72 h of ICU admission) and explored the impact of EM on mortality, ICU and hospital length of stay, as well as discharge location. Statistical analyses were done using (generalised) linear mixed-effect models and ANOVAs. Results Mobilisation data from 4190 patients from 280 ICUs in 45 countries were analysed. 1114 (26.6%) of these patients received mobilisation within 72 h after ICU admission; 3076 (73.4%) did not. In our analysis of factors associated with EM, mechanical ventilation at admission (OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.25, 0.35; p = 0.001), higher age (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.98, 1.00; p ≤ 0.001), pre-existing asthma (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.73, 0.98; p = 0.028), and pre-existing kidney disease (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.71, 0.99; p = 0.036) were negatively associated with the initiation of EM. EM was associated with a higher chance of being discharged home (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.08, 1.58; p = 0.007) but was not associated with length of stay in ICU (adj. difference 0.91 days; 95% CI − 0.47, 1.37, p = 0.34) and hospital (adj. difference 1.4 days; 95% CI − 0.62, 2.35, p = 0.24) or mortality (OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.7, 1.09, p = 0.24) when adjusted for covariates. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that a quarter of COVID-19 patients received EM. There was no association found between EM in COVID-19 patients' ICU and hospital length of stay or mortality. However, EM in COVID-19 patients was associated with increased odds of being discharged home rather than to a care facility. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04836065 (retrospectively registered April 8th 2021)

Decapoda Reptantia aus dem Iberischen Tiefseebecken : Auswertung der Fahrten 3 (1966) und 15 (1968) von F.S. "Meteor"

1. Three species of Crustacea Decapoda Reptantia are recorded from the Iberian deep sea basin, which belong all to Munidopsis. 2. A species highly characteristic of this basin was newly described under the name Munidopsis thieli. 3. For investigations on zoogeography of deep sea areas ultraabyssal species should be used

A new species of Solitariopagurus from the Red Sea with notes on S. profundus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Paguridae)

Türkay, Michael (2015): A new species of Solitariopagurus from the Red Sea with notes on S. profundus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Paguridae). Zootaxa 3920 (4): 579-585, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3920.4.