The Food Web of Potter Cove (Antarctica): complexity, structure and function

Knowledge of the food web structure and complexity are central to better understand ecosystem functioning. A food-web approach includes both species and energy flows among them, providing a natural framework for characterizing species’ ecological roles and the mechanisms through which biodiversity influences ecosystem dynamics. Here we present for the first time a high-resolution food web for a marine ecosystem at Potter Cove (northern Antarctic Peninsula). Eleven food web properties were analyzed in order to document network complexity, structure and topology. We found a low linkage density (3.4), connectance (0.04) and omnivory percentage (45), as well as a short path length (1.8) and a low clustering coefficient (0.08). Furthermore, relating the structure of the food web to its dynamics, an exponential degree distribution (in- and out-links) was found. This suggests that the Potter Cove food web may be vulnerable if the most connected species became locally extinct. For two of the three more connected functional groups, competition overlap graphs imply high trophic interaction between demersal fish and niche specialization according to feeding strategies in amphipods. On the other hand, the prey overlap graph shows also that multiple energy pathways of carbon flux exist across benthic and pelagic habitats in the Potter Cove ecosystem. Although alternative food sources might add robustness to the web, network properties (low linkage density, connectance and omnivory) suggest fragility and potential trophic cascade effects.Fil: Marina, Tomas Ignacio. Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento. Instituto de Ciencias; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable; ArgentinaFil: Salinas, Vanesa Anabella. Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento. Instituto de Ciencias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Cordone, Georgina Florencia. Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento. Instituto de Ciencias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Campana, Gabriela Laura. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable; Argentina. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Interno y Culto. Dirección Nacional del Antártico. Instituto Antártico Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Moreira, María Eugenia. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Interno y Culto. Dirección Nacional del Antártico. Instituto Antártico Argentino; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Deregibus, Dolores. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Interno y Culto. Dirección Nacional del Antártico. Instituto Antártico Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Torre, Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; ArgentinaFil: Sahade, Ricardo Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; ArgentinaFil: Tatian, Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; ArgentinaFil: Barrera Oro, Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ; ArgentinaFil: De Troch, Marleen. University College Ghent; BélgicaFil: Doyle, Santiago Raúl. Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento. Instituto de Ciencias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Quartino, Maria Liliana. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Interno y Culto. Dirección Nacional del Antártico. Instituto Antártico Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Saravia, Leonardo Ariel. Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento. Instituto de Ciencias; ArgentinaFil: Momo, Fernando Roberto. Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento. Instituto de Ciencias; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable; Argentin

Effects of macroalgae loss in an Antarctic marine food web: applying extinction thresholds to food web studies

Antarctica is seriously affected by climate change, particularly at the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) where a rapid regional warming is observed. Potter Cove is a WAP fjord at Shetland Islands that constitutes a biodiversity hotspot where over the last years, Potter Cove annual air temperatures averages increased by 0.66 °C, coastal glaciers declined, and suspended particulate matter increased due to ice melting. Macroalgae are the main energy source for all consumers and detritivores of Potter Cove. Some effects of climate change favor pioneer macroalgae species that exploit new ice-free areas and can also decline rates of photosynthesis and intensify competition between species due to the increase of suspended particulate matter. In this study, we evaluated possible consequences of climate change at Potter Cove food web by simulating the extinction of macroalgae and detritus using a topological approach with thresholds of extinction. Thresholds represent the minimum number of incoming links necessary for species’ survival. When we simulated the extinctions of macroalgae species at random, a threshold of extinction beyond 50% was necessary to obtain a significant number of secondary extinctions, while with a 75% threshold a real collapse of the food web occurred. Our results indicate that Potter Cove food web is relative robust to macroalgae extinction. This is dramatically different from what has been found in other food webs, where the reduction of 10% in prey intake caused a disproportionate increase of secondary extinctions. Robustness of the Potter Cove food web was mediated by omnivory and redundancy, which had an important relevance in this food web. When we eliminated larger-biomass species more secondary extinctions occurred, a similar response was observed when more connected species were deleted, yet there was no correlation between species of larger-biomass and high-degree. This similarity could be explained because both criteria involved key species that produced an emerging effect on the food web. In this way, large-biomass and high-degree species could be acting as source for species with few trophic interactions or low redundancy. Based on this work, we expect the Potter Cove food web to be robust to changes in macroalgae species caused by climate change until a high threshold of stress is reached, and then negative effects are expected to spread through the entire food web leading to its collapse

O Papel do ensino do português como língua estrangeira na defesa do multicultarismo

As política actuais existentes a nível oficial para a implementação e defesa do ensino da Língua Portuguesa como Língua Estrangeira (L. E.) na Europa e no resto do mundo levam-nos a pensar que são, sobretudo, os casos isolados de leitores portugueses pioneiros, inspirados e marginais que na sua missão individual e afastada lutam pela implementação e defesa desta língua nos seus países de acolhimento. Segundo Volfgram, “cabe ensinar a alguns que o multiculturalismo não está apenas na teoria e sim ao nosso redor, nos elevando realmente à condição de seres humanos” (2005), e o mesmo é dizer que o multiculturalismo começa nas suas bases pela aprendizagem desinteressada e não interesseira das crianças na sua mais tenra idade. Não é impunemente que em países multiculturais como a Bélgica, a Língua Portuguesa ensinada como segunda língua ou como língua estrangeira desempenha um papel preponderante na defesa e na preservação do Português e, em simultâneo, pugna pela defesa incontestável da necessidade incontornável que o multiculturalismo é hoje. É indubitável que a luta contra a xenofobia, a luta pela tolerância e o respeito mútuo, bem como o diálogo profícuo biunívoco não podem sobreviver actualmente sem uma consciencialização da importância das línguas minoritárias, da crioulização, da relação com as línguas maioritárias e da conquista da defesa do multiculturalismo hic et nunc. Abordando algumas opiniões avisadas, esperamos trazer à discussão temas importantes, tais como, a necessidade de articulação de políticas de difusão da língua portuguesa na Europa e no Mundo concertadamente com o Brasil e outros Países Lusófonos, a necessidade de implementação de medidas concretas no terreno para defesa da Língua de Camões fora de Portugal, a sobrevivência do Português que embora sendo minoritária na Europa é uma das línguas mais faladas no mundo, a necessidade da consciencialização para a crescente importância geo-estratégica do Português paralelamente com o recrudescimento do multiculturalismo à escala global

AVALIAÇÃO DOS EFEITOS DA UTILIZAÇÃO DA MACROALGA Gracilaria edulis COMO SUPLEMENTO ALIMENTAR NA DIETA DE TILÁPIAS DO NILO (Oreochromis niloticus L.).

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo estudar se os diferentes níveis de inclusão da macroalga Gracilaria edulis (GE) afetam o comprimento e densidade de vilosidades intestinais de tilápias do Nilo em três distintas fases, a saber: suplementação da alga durante o período de reversão sexual (DRS), suplementação da alga após o período de reversão (ARS) e durante e após o período de reversão (DTP) e um tratamento controle que não recebeu a suplementação de G. edulis. Foram estudados a taxa de sobrevivência, o comprimento e a densidade de vilosidades intestinais de tilápias do Nilo. As larvas foram acondicionadas em aquários com 50 L de capacidade nominal, tiveram sifonamento diário e a reposição de 1/3 de água. O ciclo de claro e escuro foi de 12 horas cada e a alimentação foi oferecida ad libitum quatro vezes ao dia. Os resultados encontrados demonstraram que a taxa de sobrevivência foi maior nos tratamentos controle, inclusão de 2,5%GE DTP (T2); 5,0%GE DRS (T6) e todos os níveis do período ARS (T8, T9 e T10) apresentando valores iguais ou acima de 85%. Os comprimentos das vilosidades intestinais foram maiores no tratamento controle (T1) em relação aos demais tratamentos. E a densidade de vilos intestinais foram maiores nos tratamentos controle e 10%GE DTP (T4). De maneira geral, o nível de 10%GE teve maior número de vilos em todos os períodos observados. Conclui-se que os períodos avaliados e os níveis de inclusão de G. edulis adicionados à ração não afetaram positivamente o comprimento das vilosidades intestinais. Para a densidade de vilos, o nível 10%GE (T4, T7 e T10), independentemente do período, apresentou-se melhor, mas sem ser maior que o número de vilos do tratamento controle. A taxa de sobrevivência dos peixes apresentou-se melhor no período após a reversão sexual

Multifractal Spatial Patterns and Diversity in an Ecological Succession

We analyzed the relationship between biodiversity and spatial biomass heterogeneity along an ecological succession developed in the laboratory. Periphyton (attached microalgae) biomass spatial patterns at several successional stages were obtained using digital image analysis and at the same time we estimated the species composition and abundance. We show that the spatial pattern was self-similar and as the community developed in an homogeneous environment the pattern is self-organized. To characterize it we estimated the multifractal spectrum of generalized dimensions Dq. Using Dq we analyze the existence of cycles of heterogeneity during succession and the use of the information dimension D1 as an index of successional stage. We did not find cycles but the values of D1 showed an increasing trend as the succession developed and the biomass was higher. D1 was also negatively correlated with Shannon's diversity. Several studies have found this relationship in different ecosystems but here we prove that the community self-organizes and generates its own spatial heterogeneity influencing diversity. If this is confirmed with more experimental and theoretical evidence D1 could be used as an index, easily calculated from remote sensing data, to detect high or low diversity areas

Characterization of the metal absorption regulator family and stress response in Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni.

A leptospirose é uma zoonose de importância mundial, e é causada por bactérias patogênicas do gênero Leptospira, pertencente à ordem Spirochaetales. Os seres humanos são hospedeiros acidentais e os surtos de leptospirose ocorrem em grandes centros urbanos após enchentes contaminadas por urina de ratos. Existem poucas informações a respeito de como Leptospira spp lida com situações de estresse induzidas pelo hospedeiro e pelo ambiente. O ferro é um íon essencial para a maioria dos seres vivos. A regulação de genes envolvidos por seu aporte e estoque na célula bacteriana é mediada por proteínas da família de reguladores transcricionais, Fur (ferric uptake regulator). L. interrogans sorovar Copenhageni possui quatro ortólogos para Fur, que foram alvo de estudo deste trabalho. A caracterização destes genes foi realizada através de estudos evolutivos, determinação do seu padrão de expressão em modelo animal e análise de modelagem estrutural. Durante o andamento do mestrado, ensaios paralelos revelaram resultados promissores na análise de expressão de genes relacionados ao sistema SOS, um mecanismo de resposta bacteriano a danos no material genético. Assim sendo, o estudo de caracterização de expressão em modelo animal suscetível e resistente à doença foi ampliado. Ensaios de qRT-PCR de cDNAs provenientes de pulmão, rim e fígado permitiram a identificação de dois genes que foram expressos quase que constitutivamente ao longo de toda a infecção em todos os órgãos e organismos estudados: fur979 e recA. Os demais foram requeridos em dias específicos da infecção. Quanto aos componentes do sistema SOS, observamos padrão de expressão específico para o rim, no quinto dia após a infecção. Para os estudos evolutivos de Fur foi gerada uma árvore filogenética que revelou o agrupamento de duas sequências da família Fur de Leptospira interrogans sorovar Copenhageni em ramos fechados com sequências muito similares a proteína Fur e Zur de Escherichia coli. Os outros dois ortólogos agruparam com as proteínas correspondentes nas demais espécies de Leptospira. Uma destas sequências apresentou padrão evolutivo específico dentre as espécies patogênicas. A modelagem da estrutura terciária, confirmou o padrão evolutivo obtido em nossa inferência filogenética.Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by pathogenic bacteria from the genus Leptospira, order Spirochetales. Human beings are accidental hosts, and leptospirosis outbreaks occur in large urban centers after contact with contaminated waterby rodent urine. There are few informations concerning the mechanisms employed by Leptospira sppto deal with the stress induced by the host and the environment Iron is an essential ion to most of living beings. The regulation of genes involved in its uptake and maintenance in the bacterial cell is mediated by the transcriptional regulator family proteins, Fur (ferric uptake regulators). L. interrogans serovar Copenhageni possesses four orthologues for Fur, which were the focus of this work. The characterization of Leptospira Fur genes was done through evolutive studies, determination of their expression pattern on animal model and structural modeling analysis. In parallel, some experiments presented promising results for the expression analysis of genes related to the SOS system, a bacterial response mechanism to DNA damage. Therefore, the gene expression characterization on susceptible and resistant animal model was amplified. qRT-PCR experiments of cDNA from lung, kidney and liver allowed the identification of two genes expressed almost constitutively during the infection in all organs and organisms : fur979 and recA. The others were required in specific days of the infection. Curiously, the SOS system components showed specific expression pattern in the fifth day after inoculation, in kidney. For the Fur evolutive studies, a phylogenetic tree was inferred, revealing the clustering of two Fur family sequences from Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni in closed branches with very similar sequences to Fur and Zur proteins from Escherichia coli. The other two orthologues clustered with corresponding proteins in the other Leptospira species. One of these sequences presented a specific evolutive pattern among pathogenic species. The tertiary structure modeling confirmed the evolutive pattern obtained in our phylogenetic inference

Data from: Multifractal growth in periphyton communities

Periphyton is an aquatic community composed by algae, bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that can develop a complex architecture comparable to tropical forests. We analyzed the spatial pattern of a periphyton community along a succession developed in experimental tanks. Our aim was to identify regularities that may help us to explain the patchiness of this community. Therefore, we estimated the spatial pattern of periphyton biomass using a non-destructive image analysis technique to obtain a temporal series of the spatial distribution. These were analyzed using multifractal techniques. Multifractals are analogous to fractals but they look at the geometry of quantities instead of the geometry of pattern. To use these techniques the object of study must show scale invariance and then can be characterized by a spectra of fractal dimensions. Self-organization describes the evolution of complex structures that emerge spontaneously driven internally by variations of the system itself. The spatial distribution of biomass showed scale invariance at all stages of succession and as the periphyton developed in a homogeneous landscape, in a demonstration of self-organized behavior. Self-organization to a critical state (SOC) is presented in the complex systems literature as a general explanation for scale invariance in nature. SOC requires a mechanism where the history of past events in a place influence the actual dynamics, this was termed ecological memory. The scale invariance was found from the very beginning of the succession thus self-organized criticality is a very improbable explanation for the pattern because there would be not enough time for the build-up of ecological memory. Positive interactions between algae and bacteria, and the existence of different spatial scales of colonization and growth are the likely causes of this pattern. Our work is a demonstration of how large scale patterns emerge from local biotic interactions

The emergence of scale-free fires in Australia

Between 2019 and 2020, during the country's hottest and driest year on record, Australia experienced a dramatic bushfire season, with catastrophic ecological and environmental consequences. Several studies highlighted how such abrupt changes in fire regimes, in terms of size and spreading, may have been in large part a consequence of climate change and other anthropogenic transformations. In this work, we analyze the monthly evolution of the burned area in Australia from 2000 to 2020, obtained via satellite imaging through the MODIS platform. We find that the 2019-2020 peak of the burned area, the highest of the historical data, is associated with signatures that are typically found near critical points. We introduce a modeling framework based on forest-fire models to study these emergent fire outbreaks properties, showing that the behavior observed during the 2019-2020 fire season matches the one of a percolation transition, where system-size outbreaks appear. Our model also highlights the existence of an absorbing phase transition that might be eventually crossed, after which the vegetation cannot recover

A photographic method for estimating chlorophyll in periphyton on artificial substrata

p, li { white-space: pre-wrap; } <p>The collection of time-series of periphyton biomass is a difficult task due to the destructive nature of the standard methods. A non-destructive method based on photography and digitalization, for the estimation of Chla of periphyton colonizing artificial substrata is presented. The standard spectrophotometric method was used to obtain a calibration curve. The relative errors of the proposed method were similar to those of other published methods. The photographic method should be used when a large quantity of samples from the same community is needed and a high precision on the individual measurement is not required.</p