Reproductive traits of pioneer gastropod species colonizing deep-sea hydrothermal vents after an eruption

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution June 2011The colonization dynamics and life histories of pioneer species are vital components in understanding the early succession of nascent hydrothermal vents. The reproductive ecology of pioneer species at deep-sea hydrothermal vents may provide insight into their dispersal, population connectivity, and ability to colonize after disturbance. An opportunity to study the reproductive traits of two pioneer gastropod species, Ctenopelta porifera and Lepetodrilus tevnianus, presented itself in 2006 after an eruption on the East Pacific Rise (EPR) eliminated vent communities near 9°50ʹ′N. Standard histological techniques were used to determine whether reproductive characteristics, such as timing of gamete release, fecundity, or time to maturation, differed from other vent gastropods in ways that might explain arrival of these two species as early colonizers. Both species exhibited two-component oocyte size frequency distributions that indicated they were quasi-continuous reproducers with high fecundity. In C. porifera, the oocyte size distributions differed slightly between two collection dates, suggesting that environmental cues may introduce some variability in gamete release. In samples collected within one year of the estimated eruption date, individuals in populations of both C. porifera and L. tevnianus were reproductively mature. The smallest reproducing C. porifera were 4.2 mm (males) and 5.4 mm (females) in shell length, whereas reproductive L. tevnianus were smaller (2.3 and 2.4 mm in males and females respectively). Most C porifera in the population were large (> 6.0 mm) compared to their settlement size and reproductively mature. In contrast, most L tevnianus were small (< 1.0 mm) and immature. Reproductive traits of the two species are consistent with opportunistic colonization, but are also similar to those of other Lepetodrilus species and peltospirids at vents, and do not explain why these particular two species were the dominant pioneers. It is likely that their larvae were in high supply immediately after the eruption due to oceanographic transport processes from remote source populations.This work was supported by National Science Foundation grant OCE- 0424953 to Mullineaux and by funds provided through the WHOI Summer Student Fellowship program and the Brown University Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department to Bayer

Effects of prior experience on shelter-seeking behavior of juvenile American lobsters

Author Posting. © University of Chicago, 2017. This article is posted here by permission of University of Chicago for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Biological Bulletin 232 (2017): 101-109, doi:10.1086/692697.Shelter-seeking behaviors are vital for survival for a range of juvenile benthic organisms. These behaviors may be innate or they may be affected by prior experience. After hatching, American lobsters Homarus americanus likely first come into contact with shelter during the late postlarval (decapodid) stage, known as stage IV. After the subsequent molt to the first juvenile stage (stage V), they are entirely benthic and are thought to be highly cryptic. We hypothesized that postlarval (stage IV) experience with shelter would carry over into the first juvenile stage (stage V) and reduce the time needed for juveniles to locate and enter shelters (sheltering). We found some evidence of a carryover effect, but not the one we predicted: stage V juveniles with postlarval shelter experience took significantly longer to initiate sheltering. We also hypothesized that stage V juveniles would demonstrate learning by relocating shelters more quickly with immediate prior experience. Our findings were mixed. In a maze, juveniles with immediate prior experience were faster to regain visual contact with shelter, suggesting that they had learned the location of the shelter. In contrast, there was no significant effect of immediate prior experience on time to initiate sheltering in an open arena, or in the maze after juveniles had regained visual contact. We conclude that very young (stage V) juvenile lobsters modify their shelter-seeking behavior based on prior experiences across several timescales. Ecologically relevant variation in habitat exposure among postlarval and early juvenile lobsters may influence successful recruitment in this culturally and commercially important fishery species.This work was supported by a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Postdoctoral Scholar Award (MWJ), a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (SRB), NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant (MWJ), and National Science Foundation Grant IOS-0843440 (JA).2018-04-0

Sharing Science Through Shared Values, Goals, and Stories: An Evidence-Based Approach to Making Science Matter

Scientists in and beyond academia face considerable challenges to effectively sharing science, including lack of time and training, systemic disincentives, and the complexity of the modern media/attention landscape. Considering these constraints, 3 achievable shifts in mindset and practice can substantively enhance science communication efforts. Here, we provide evidence-based and experientially informed advice on how to center shared values, articulate science communication goals, and leverage the power of stories to advance our communication goals in connection with the values we share with our stakeholders. In addition to a discussion of relevant, foundational principles in science communication, we provide actionable recommendations and tools scientists can immediately use to articulate their values, identify shared values between stakeholders, set science communication goals, and use storytelling as a means of building and reinforcing relationships around shared values, thereby working productively to achieve those goals

Detecting the influence of initial pioneers on succession at deep-sea vents

© The Author(s), 2012. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS One 7 (2012): e50015, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0050015.Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are subject to major disturbances that alter the physical and chemical environment and eradicate the resident faunal communities. Vent fields are isolated by uninhabitable deep seafloor, so recolonization via dispersal of planktonic larvae is critical for persistence of populations. We monitored colonization near 9°50′N on the East Pacific Rise following a catastrophic eruption in order to address questions of the relative contributions of pioneer colonists and environmental change to variation in species composition, and the role of pioneers at the disturbed site in altering community structure elsewhere in the region. Pioneer colonists included two gastropod species: Ctenopelta porifera, which was new to the vent field, and Lepetodrilus tevnianus, which had been rare before the eruption but persisted in high abundance afterward, delaying and possibly out-competing the ubiquitous pre-eruption congener L. elevatus. A decrease in abundance of C. porifera over time, and the arrival of later species, corresponded to a decrease in vent fluid flow and in the sulfide to temperature ratio. For some species these successional changes were likely due to habitat requirements, but other species persisted (L. tevnianus) or arrived (L. elevatus) in patterns unrelated to their habitat preferences. After two years, disturbed communities had started to resemble pre-eruption ones, but were lower in diversity. When compared to a prior (1991) eruption, the succession of foundation species (tubeworms and mussels) appeared to be delayed, even though habitat chemistry became similar to the pre-eruption state more quickly. Surprisingly, a nearby community that had not been disturbed by the eruption was invaded by the pioneers, possibly after they became established in the disturbed vents. These results indicate that the post-eruption arrival of species from remote locales had a strong and persistent effect on communities at both disturbed and undisturbed vents.The authors received funding from National Science Foundation grant OCE-0424953, WHOI Deep Ocean Exploration Institute, WHOI Summer Student Fellow program, Woods Hole Partnership in Education Program, IFREMER and CNRS, Fondation TOTAL Chair Extreme Marine Environment, Biodiversity and Global change

Extending the Vision: Highlighting the Human Dimensions of the Ecological Society of America

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Human Dimensions: Communication and Engagement, Where Ecology and Human Dimensions Meet

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Environmental conditions measured at colonization surfaces or on seafloor.

<p>Measurements recorded at 9, 11, 22 or 23 months after the eruption, during cruises in October 2006, December 2006, and November/December 2007 respectively, and pre-eruption (Pre) in December 1995. Sites were vents in the region of 9°50′N East Pacific Rise (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0050015#pone-0050015-g001" target="_blank">Fig. 1</a>), habitats were characterized as hot (H), warm (W) or cool (C) on initial visit. Temperature (T) was measured directly at colonization surfaces with Alvin probe. Temperature, pH and free sulfide (sul) were measured at the seafloor with electrochemical sensors in the vicinity of colonization surfaces and at other nearby vents (N = number of measurements in each habitat type).</p

Temporal change in fauna and fluid environment at P-vent.

<p>Species abundance (mean and standard error; arcsine square-root transform of relative abundance) of selected species colonizing at times 9, 11 and 22 months after the eruption in hot habitat. Asterisk denotes abundance significantly greater than at least one other time (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0050015#pone.0050015.s004" target="_blank">Table S3</a>). Environmental conditions, displayed as box plots (median, quartiles, range) measured in vicinity of colonization surfaces with Alvin T-probe alone (9 months) or in combination with electrochemical sensors coupled with T-probes (11 and 23 months).</p

Map of vent locations on ridge axis of East Pacific Rise near 9°50′N.

<p>Vents (yellow circles) referenced in text are named. Blue outline shows extent of lava from 2006 eruption.</p

Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis (nMDS) of colonist species composition.

<p>Closely clustered symbols correspond to samples with similar species composition and abundance. Comparisons are made: (A) across Time (9, 11 and 22 months after eruption at P-vent hot habitat); (B) between Disturbance history (pre-eruption at Biovent and Worm Hole hot habitat, and post-eruption at P-vent and V-vent hot habitat); and (C) between Habitat (hot, warm and cool habitat at P-vent, 11 months post-eruption). Stress values near zero indicate that most of the variance in species abundance was accounted for in the analysis.</p