An annual cycle of diatom succession in two contrasting Greenlandic fjords : from simple sea-ice indicators to varied seasonal strategists

We recorded diatom species succession over one full year (May 2017-May 2018) using automated sediment traps installed in two contrasting Greenlandic fjords: the seasonally ice-covered Young Sound in high-arctic Northeast Greenland and the nearly sea-ice free Godthabsfjord in subarctic Southwest Greenland. The traps were positioned at differing water depths (37m in Young Sound vs. 300m in Godthabsfjord). Distinct differences between the study sites were observed in both sediment and diatom fluxes. In Young Sound, total diatom flux was extremely seasonal and as high as 880 x 10(6) valves m(-2) d(-1) in the spring. In Godthabsfjord, total diatom flux was more stable throughout the year, with a maximum of 320 x 10(6) valves m(-2) d(-1) in the summer. The diatom assemblage in Young Sound was dominated by the sea-ice species Fragilariopsis oceanica, Fragilariopsis reginae-jahniae and Fossula arctica, which exhibited pulse-like deposition in the trap during and after the ice melt. In Godthabsfjord, the fluxes were dominated by Chaetoceros (resting spores), while the remaining assemblage was characterised by the cold-water indicator species Detonula confervacea (resting spores) and Thalassiosira antarctica var. borealis (resting spores) together with Fragilariopsis cylindrus. Our data show that, F. oceanica, F. reginae-jahniae and F. arctica exhibit similar seasonal behaviour and a clear link to sea ice. Fragilariopsis cylindrus seems to have a more flexible niche, and based on our study, cannot be considered an unequivocal ice indicator. Taking into account these ecological and seasonal preferences of individual diatom species is crucial when reconstructing past sea-ice conditions both qualitatively and quantitatively.Peer reviewe

Ecosystem change in the large and shallow Lake Säkylän Pyhäjärvi, Finland, during the past ~400 years : implications for management

Lake Sakylan Pyhajarvi has been an important fishing site and drinking water source for the local population for centuries. The lake has undergone significant changes: (1) the water level was lowered in the 1600s and in the 1850s; (2) planktivorous coregonid fish were successfully introduced in the early 1900s; (3) nutrient input from intensified agriculture has increased since the 1950s and (4) the effects of the current variable climate on the lake and its catchment have become more evident since the 1990s. We determined the phases of oligotrophication, eutrophication and recovery and elucidated the ecosystem changes by combining palaeolimnological records with detailed neolimnological data. The sedimentary diatom and cladoceran assemblages first showed a relatively eutrophic period followed by oligotrophic periods, linked with the artificial changes in water level and consequent shifts in macrophyte abundance. The oligotrophic period in the early 1900s is thought to represent the target trophic state for the lake. After the 1950s, introduction of vendace resulted in higher planktivory reflected by an increased relative abundance of small-bodied pelagic cladocerans. Signs of eutrophication occurred due to increased nutrient load. During the last 10 years, signs of recovery have been recorded. A complex history such as that of Lake Pyhajarvi illustrates the difficulties in selecting management targets, and the risk of setting false targets, for lakes based solely on monitoring data-both neolimnological and palaeolimnological approach are needed.Peer reviewe

Sea ice and primary production proxies in surface sediments from a High Arctic Greenland fjord : Spatial distribution and implications for palaeoenvironmental studies

In order to establish a baseline for proxy-based reconstructions for the Young Sound-Tyrolerfjord system (Northeast Greenland), we analysed the spatial distribution of primary production and sea ice proxies in surface sediments from the fjord, against monitoring data from the Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring Programme. Clear spatial gradients in organic carbon and biogenic silica contents reflected marine influence, nutrient availability and river-induced turbidity, in good agreement with in situ measurements. The sea ice proxy IP25 was detected at all sites but at low concentrations, indicating that IP25 records from fjords need to be carefully considered and not directly compared to marine settings. The sea ice-associated biomarker HBI III revealed an open-water signature, with highest concentrations near the mid-July ice edge. This proxy evaluation is an important step towards reliable palaeoenvironmental reconstructions that will, ultimately, contribute to better predictions for this High Arctic ecosystem in a warming climate.Peer reviewe

The shellfish enigma across the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in southern Scandinavia

The well-known and widespread replacement of oysters (abundant during the Mesolithic period) by cockles and mussels in many Danish Stone Age shell middens ca. 5900 cal yrs BP coincides with the transition to agriculture in southern Scandinavia. This human resource shift is commonly believed to reflect changing resource availability, driven by environmental and/or climatic change at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition rather than cultural choice. While several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the “Mesolithic-Neolithic oyster decline”, an explanation based on a sudden freshening of the inner Danish waters has received most attention. Here, for the first time, we test and refute this long-standing hypothesis that declining salinity explains the marked reduction in oysters identified within numerous shell middens across coastal Denmark at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition using quantitative and qualitative salinity inference from several, independent proxies (diatoms, molluscs and foraminifera) from multiple Danish fjord sites. Alternatively, we attribute the oyster decline to other environmental causes (particularly changing sedimentation), ultimately driven by external climatic forcing. Critical application of such high-quality environmental archives can reinvigorate archaeological debates and can aid in understanding and managing environmental change in increasingly impacted coastal regions

Modeling elucidates how refractory period can provide profound nonlinear gain control to graded potential neurons

Refractory period (RP) plays a central role in neural signaling. Because it limits an excitable membrane's recovery time from a previous excitation, it can restrict information transmission. Classically, RP means the recovery time from an action potential (spike), and its impact to encoding has been mostly studied in spiking neurons. However, many sensory neurons do not communicate with spikes but convey information by graded potential changes. In these systems, RP can arise as an intrinsic property of their quantal micro/nanodomain sampling events, as recently revealed for quantum bumps (single photon responses) in microvillar photoreceptors. Whilst RP is directly unobservable and hard to measure, masked by the graded macroscopic response that integrates numerous quantal events, modeling can uncover its role in encoding. Here, we investigate computationally how RP can affect encoding of graded neural responses. Simulations in a simple stochastic process model for a fly photoreceptor elucidate how RP can profoundly contribute to nonlinear gain control to achieve a large dynamic range. [Abstract copyright: © 2017 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.

Network adaptation improves temporal representation of naturalistic stimuli in drosophila eye: II Mechanisms

Retinal networks must adapt constantly to best present the ever changing visual world to the brain. Here we test the hypothesis that adaptation is a result of different mechanisms at several synaptic connections within the network. In a companion paper (Part I), we showed that adaptation in the photoreceptors (R1-R6) and large monopolar cells (LMC) of the Drosophila eye improves sensitivity to under-represented signals in seconds by enhancing both the amplitude and frequency distribution of LMCs' voltage responses to repeated naturalistic contrast series. In this paper, we show that such adaptation needs both the light-mediated conductance and feedback-mediated synaptic conductance. A faulty feedforward pathway in histamine receptor mutant flies speeds up the LMC output, mimicking extreme light adaptation. A faulty feedback pathway from L2 LMCs to photoreceptors slows down the LMC output, mimicking dark adaptation. These results underline the importance of network adaptation for efficient coding, and as a mechanism for selectively regulating the size and speed of signals in neurons. We suggest that concert action of many different mechanisms and neural connections are responsible for adaptation to visual stimuli. Further, our results demonstrate the need for detailed circuit reconstructions like that of the Drosophila lamina, to understand how networks process information