Phylogeography of the veined squid, Loligo forbesii, in European waters

The veined squid, Loligo forbesii Steenstrup, 1856, occurs at the European Shelf areas including the Azores and represents a valuable resource for the European commercial fishery in the North East Atlantic. However, very little is known about its population structure and phylogeography. This lack of knowledge also impedes the development of sustainable fishery management for this species. The present study combined the use of two types of markers that retrieve patterns of gene flow in different time spans; the analysis of 16 nuclear microsatellites and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI). Whereas the high mutation rate of microsatellites allows the description of recent patterns of connectivity in species, the lower mutation rate of COI provides phylogeographic patterns on a longer timescale. A total of 347 individuals of L. forbesii were investigated from nearly the entire distribution range of the species, including the North East Atlantic Shelf, the Azores and the Mediterranean. Individuals from the Western and Eastern Mediterranean Sea have never been included in a genetic study before. We were able to analyse COI sequences from all 12 sampling areas and define three clades of L. forbesii. Due to our large sampling area, we are presenting 13 COIhaplotypes that were previously unknown. The microsatellite analysis does not include the Azores but three main clades could be identified at the remaining 11 sampling sites. Low FST values indicate gene flow over large geographical distances. However, the genetically significant differences and an additional slight grouping in the microsatellite structure reveal that geographical barriers seem to influence the population structure and reduce gene flow. Furthermore, both markers provide strong evidence that the observed phylogeographic pattern reflects the geographical history of the Azores and the Mediterranean Sea.Postprin

Multi-method approach shows stock structure in Loligo forbesii squid

Knowledge of stock structure is a priority for effective assessment of commercially-fished cephalopods. Loligo forbesii squid are thought to migrate inshore for breeding and offshore for feeding and long-range movements are implied from past studies showing genetic homogeneity in the entire neritic population. Only offshore populations (Faroe and Rockall Bank) were considered distinct. The present study applied mitchondrial and microsatellite markers (nine loci) to samples from Rockall Bank, north Scotland, North Sea, various shelf locations in Ireland, English Channel, northern Bay of Biscay, north Spain, and Bay of Cadiz. No statistically significant genetic sub-structure was found, although some non-significant trends involving Rockall were seen using microsatellite markers. Differences in L. forbesii statolith shape were apparent at a subset of locations, with most locations showing pairwise differences and statoliths from north Ireland being highly distinct. This suggests that (i) statolith shape is highly sensitive to local conditions and (ii) L. forbesii forms distinguishable groups (based on shape statistics), maintaining these groups over sufficiently long periods for local conditions to affect the shape of the statolith. Overall evidence suggests that L. forbesii forms separable (ecological) groups over short timescales with a semi-isolated breeding group at Rockall whose distinctiveness varies over time.Postprin

The repeatability of cognitive performance:A meta-analysis

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from The Royal Society via the DOI in this record.Behavioural and cognitive processes play important roles in mediating an individual's interactions with its environment. Yet, while there is a vast literature on repeatable individual differences in behaviour, relatively little is known about the repeatability of cognitive performance. To further our understanding of the evolution of cognition, we gathered 44 studies on individual performance of 25 species across six animal classes and used meta-analysis to assess whether cognitive performance is repeatable. We compared repeatability (R) in performance (1) on the same task presented at different times (temporal repeatability), and (2) on different tasks that measured the same putative cognitive ability (contextual repeatability). We also addressed whether R estimates were influenced by seven extrinsic factors (moderators): type of cognitive performance measurement, type of cognitive task, delay between tests, origin of the subjects, experimental context, taxonomic class and publication status. We found support for both temporal and contextual repeatability of cognitive performance, with mean R estimates ranging between 0.15 and 0.28. Repeatability estimates were mostly influenced by the type of cognitive performance measures and publication status. Our findings highlight the widespread occurrence of consistent inter-individual variation in cognition across a range of taxa which, like behaviour, may be associated with fitness outcomes.PKYC is supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (PE1801); JOvH was funded by an ERC consolidator grant (616474). MC and this research was supported by a grant from the Human Frontier Science Program to ASC and JM-F (RGP0006/2015)

The Baltic Sea as a time machine for the future coastal ocean

Coastal global oceans are expected to undergo drastic changes driven by climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressures in coming decades. Predicting specific future conditions and assessing the best management strategies to maintain ecosystem integrity and sustainable resource use are difficult, because of multiple interacting pressures, uncertain projections, and a lack of test cases for management. We argue that the Baltic Sea can serve as a time machine to study consequences and mitigation of future coastal perturbations, due to its unique combination of an early history of multistressor disturbance and ecosystem deterioration and early implementation of cross-border environmental management to address these problems. The Baltic Sea also stands out in providing a strong scientific foundation and accessibility to long-term data series that provide a unique opportunity to assess the efficacy of management actions to address the breakdown of ecosystem functions. Trend reversals such as the return of top predators, recovering fish stocks, and reduced input of nutrient and harmful substances could be achieved only by implementing an international, cooperative governance structure transcending its complex multistate policy setting, with integrated management of watershed and sea. The Baltic Sea also demonstrates how rapidly progressing global pressures, particularly warming of Baltic waters and the surrounding catchment area, can offset the efficacy of current management approaches. This situation calls for management that is (i) conservative to provide a buffer against regionally unmanageable global perturbations, (ii) adaptive to react to new management challenges, and, ultimately, (iii) multisectorial and integrative to address conflicts associated with economic trade-offs

Food webs under changing biodiversity - Top-down control

Report on effects of changing predation pressure on benthic and pelagic specie

Einführung des synthetischen Erdgases auf dem Energiemarkt in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland unter Berücksichtigung alternativer Kohleangebotsstrategien und der konkurrierenden Energieträger

Ausgangspunkt dieser Arbeit war die Frage, welche Marktanteile das SNG unter Berücksichtigung alternativer Entwicklungen der konkurrierenden Energieträger insbesondere unter dem Aspekt der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und der volkswirtschaftlichen Kosten und Nutzen übernehmen kann. Zur Beantwortung wurde ein Planungsmodell mit folgenden charakteristischen Merkmalen erstellt: - Aufteilung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland bis auf die Ebene der Verdichtungsräume zur Abbildung der regionalen Entwicklung von Energiebedarfsdeckungsstrukturen und regionalen Energieträgerpreisen bei gleichzeitiger Berücksichtigung nationalerEnergienachfrage- und Energieangebotsentwicklungen. - Zur Aufteilung der Energienachfrageentwicklung auf die Energieträger wurde ein dynamischer theoretisch/empirischer Substitutionsausatz implementiert. - Die mit Hilfe des Substitutionsansatzes und der betriebswirtschaftlichen Kosten und Preise generierten SNG-Einführungsstrategien wurden anschließend unter Berücksichtigung volkswirtschaftlicher Kosten und Nutzen bewertet. Bei der realen Fundierung des Modells traten insbesondere folgende Probleme auf: Abstimmung des Datenmaterials über die derzeitige regionalisierte Energiebedarfsdeckungs struktur mit den Daten regionalisierter Energienachfrageprognosen. - Lückenhaftes empirisches Datenmaterial zur Bestimmung von Substitutionselastizitäten, so daß nur eine partielle empirische Bestätigung für die im Modell verwendeten Substitutionselastiz itäten erfolgen konnte. - Mangelnde Praktikabilität der makroökonomischen, totalanalytischenBewertungsmodelle, da ihre Datenbasis unzureichend ist und in den Modellen restriktive Bedingungen unterstellt werden, die nicht der Realität entsprechen. Aus diesem Grunde wurde als praktikable Bewertungsmethode die Kosten/Nutzen-Analyse in Form eines volkswirtschaftlichen Investitionskalküls gewählt. Bei der Abschätzung der Angebotsentwicklung der Konkurrenzenergieträger des SNG wurde von folgendem ausgegangen: Das Mineralöl wird aufgrund mittelfristig nur geringer Energieeinsparungsmaßnahmen und trotz langfristig sich abzeichnender Erschöpfungstendenzen Marktführer bleiben und deshalb höhere Preissteigerungsraten aufweisen als das Erdgas, selbst dann, wenn das Erdgas aus weit entlegenen Gebieten beschafft werden muß. Für Energieträger mit einem derzeit relativ geringen Endenergieanteil wurden untere, mittlere und obere Zuwachsraten exogen vorgegeben. - Für den Standardfall wurden aufgrund neuerer Wirtschaftlichkeitsuntersuchungen über den Fernwärmeeinsatz und neuerer Einsatzpotentialabschätzungen über die Wärmepumpe geringere Zuwachsratenangenommen als bisher prognostiziert wurden. Die Entwicklung der Stromnachfrage wurde mit geringeren Wachstumsraten fortgeschrieben als in der Vergangenheit realisiert wurden. Zur Abschätzung der Entwicklung des zur Verfügung stehenden Kohlevergasungsaufkommens wurden alternative Angebotsentwicklungen angenommen. Für die Braunkohle wurde dies in erster Linie von dem Wettbewerbsvergleich zwischen Braunkohlekraftwerken und Leichtwasserreaktoren abhängig gemacht. Das Steinkohlevergasungsaufkommen [...