Small to meso-scale distribution of Baltic cod (Gadus morhua L.) as resolved by hydroacoustics: Habitat preferences, environmental limits, and resulting implications for stock development

Small to meso-scale distribution of Baltic cod (Gadus morhua L.) as resolved by hydroacoustics: Habitat preferences, environmental limits, and resulting implications for stock developmen

Spatial and temporal variability in the stomach content of herring and sprat in the Bornholm Basin

Herring and sprat stomachs and zooplankton samples were collected on 8 sites in the Bornholm Basin in May/June 1999 at different times of the day. Sprat showed a distinct increase in stomach content from early morning to the afternoon, whereas the stomach content of herring remained rather constant. Both herring and sprat showed a clear dominance of mesozooplankton in food composition with only small contributions of makrozooplankton and ichthyo-plankton. Both clupeid species showed similar preferences in selection of food items with a dominance of the copepods P. elongatus and T. longicornis. Compared to herring, other copepod species, especially Acartia spp. contributed to a larger extent to the food of sprat. Cladocerans played a less important role as food for both species. Spatial differences in stomach content have been revealed between the sampling sites. These resulted from differences in the distribution of food organisms in the water column as well as a different vertical distribution of the predators at different times of day. The share of juvenile copepods in herring stomachs was bigger than in sprat stomachs. Generally, selective feeding seemed to be stronger developed in sprat than in herring

Climate-driven long-term trends in Baltic Sea oxygen concentrations and the potential consequences for eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua)

Variations in oxygen conditions in the Baltic are influenced by several mechanisms. Generally, the frequency and magnitude of major inflows have been identified as the most crucial process for the renewal of oxygen-depleted water masses in the Baltic Sea. Furthermore, enhanced degradation of suspended organic matter by bacteria over the past few decades has increased oxygen consumption. Finally, the effects of large-scale climate warming are causing long-term variations in oxygen content and saturation as an observed increase in temperature has led to a general decrease in oxygen solubility of water masses. Oxygen-dependent relationships based on field data and laboratory experiments were used to analyse the impact of the observed decrease in oxygen content on eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) stock-specific processes (e.g. survival rates of eggs, settlement probability of juveniles, habitat utilization of spawning fish, age structure of successful spawners, food consumption rates of adult fish). The observed long-term decline in oxygen conditions in the Baltic Sea has had a seemingly generally negative impact on oxygen-related processes for the different life stages of eastern Baltic cod. Experimentally derived results of oxygen-driven processes were validated by field data

Caught in the middle: bottom‑up and top‑down processes impacting recruitment in a small pelagic fsh

Understanding the drivers behind fluctuations in fish populations remains a key objective in fishery science. Our predictive capacity to explain these fluctuations is still relatively low, due to the amalgam of interacting bottom-up and top-down factors, which vary across time and space among and within populations. Gaining a mechanistic understanding of these recruitment drivers requires a holistic approach, combining field, experimental and modelling efforts. Here, we use the Western Baltic Spring-Spawning (WBSS) herring (Clupea harengus) to exemplify the power of this holistic approach and the high complexity of the recruitment drivers (and their interactions). Since the early 2000s, low recruitment levels have promoted intense research on this stock. Our literature synthesis suggests that the major drivers are habitat compression of the spawning beds (due to eutrophication and coastal modification mainly) and warming, which indirectly leads to changes in spawning phenology, prey abundance and predation pressure. Other factors include increased intensity of extreme climate events and new predators in the system. Four main knowledge gaps were identified related to life-cycle migration and habitat use, population structure and demographics, life-stage specific impact of multi-stressors, and predator–prey interactions. Specific research topics within these areas are proposed, as well as the priority to support a sustainable management of the stock. Given that the Baltic Sea is severely impacted by warming, eutrophication and altered precipitation, WBSS herring could be a harbinger of potential effects of changing environmental drivers to the recruitment of small pelagic fishes in other coastal areas in the world.publishedVersio

A Novel Metagenomic Short-Chain Dehydrogenase/Reductase Attenuates Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Formation and Virulence on Caenorhabditis elegans

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the expression of a number of virulence factors, as well as biofilm formation, are controlled by quorum sensing (QS). N-Acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) are an important class of signaling molecules involved in bacterial QS and in many pathogenic bacteria infection and host colonization are AHL-dependent. The AHL signaling molecules are subject to inactivation mainly by hydrolases (Enzyme Commission class number EC 3) (i.e. N-acyl-homoserine lactonases and N-acyl-homoserine-lactone acylases). Only little is known on quorum quenching mechanisms of oxidoreductases (EC 1). Here we report on the identification and structural characterization of the first NADP-dependent short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) involved in inactivation of N-(3-oxo-dodecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C12-HSL) and derived from a metagenome library. The corresponding gene was isolated from a soil metagenome and designated bpiB09. Heterologous expression and crystallographic studies established BpiB09 as an NADP-dependent reductase. Although AHLs are probably not the native substrate of this metagenome-derived enzyme, its expression in P. aeruginosa PAO1 resulted in significantly reduced pyocyanin production, decreased motility, poor biofilm formation and absent paralysis of Caenorhabditis elegans. Furthermore, a genome-wide transcriptome study suggested that the level of lasI and rhlI transcription together with 36 well known QS regulated genes was significantly (≥10-fold) affected in P. aeruginosa strains expressing the bpiB09 gene in pBBR1MCS-5. Thus AHL oxidoreductases could be considered as potent tools for the development of quorum quenching strategies

Diving into the vertical dimension of elasmobranch movement ecology

Knowledge of the three-dimensional movement patterns of elasmobranchs is vital to understand their ecological roles and exposure to anthropogenic pressures. To date, comparative studies among species at global scales have mostly focused on horizontal movements. Our study addresses the knowledge gap of vertical movements by compiling the first global synthesis of vertical habitat use by elasmobranchs from data obtained by deployment of 989 biotelemetry tags on 38 elasmobranch species. Elasmobranchs displayed high intra- and interspecific variability in vertical movement patterns. Substantial vertical overlap was observed for many epipelagic elasmobranchs, indicating an increased likelihood to display spatial overlap, biologically interact, and share similar risk to anthropogenic threats that vary on a vertical gradient. We highlight the critical next steps toward incorporating vertical movement into global management and monitoring strategies for elasmobranchs, emphasizing the need to address geographic and taxonomic biases in deployments and to concurrently consider both horizontal and vertical movements

Diving into the vertical dimension of elasmobranch movement ecology

Knowledge of the three-dimensional movement patterns of elasmobranchs is vital to understand their ecological roles and exposure to anthropogenic pressures. To date, comparative studies among species at global scales have mostly focused on horizontal movements. Our study addresses the knowledge gap of vertical movements by compiling the first global synthesis of vertical habitat use by elasmobranchs from data obtained by deployment of 989 biotelemetry tags on 38 elasmobranch species. Elasmobranchs displayed high intra- and interspecific variability in vertical movement patterns. Substantial vertical overlap was observed for many epipelagic elasmobranchs, indicating an increased likelihood to display spatial overlap, biologically interact, and share similar risk to anthropogenic threats that vary on a vertical gradient. We highlight the critical next steps toward incorporating vertical movement into global management and monitoring strategies for elasmobranchs, emphasizing the need to address geographic and taxonomic biases in deployments and to concurrently consider both horizontal and vertical movements