Dual stable isotope abundances unravel trophic position of estuarine nematodes

The role and quantitative importance of free-living nematodes in marine and estuarine soft sediments remain enigmatic for lack of empirical evidence on the feeding habits and trophic position of most nematode species. Here we use natural abundances of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes of some abundant nematode species/genera from estuarine intertidal sediments to assess their trophic level and major food sources. In all stations, d15N of different dominant nematode species/genera spanned a range of 3.6 to 6.3 ppt, indicating that at least two trophic levels were represented. The large nematodes Enoplus brevis, Enoploides longispiculosus and Adoncholaimus fuscus consistently had high d15N, in line with mouth-morphology based predictions and empirical evidence on their predacious feeding modes. Daptonema sp., Metachromadora remanei, Praeacanthonchus punctatus and ‘Chromadoridae’ (dominated by Ptycholaimellus ponticus) had comparatively lower d15N, and d13C suggesting that microphytobenthos (MPB) is their major carbon source, although freshly sedimented particulate organic matter may also contribute to their nutrition in silty sediments. The trophic position of Sphaerolaimus sp., a genus with documented predacious feeding mode, was ambiguous. Ascolaimus elongatus had d15N signatures indicating a predacious ecology, which is at variance with expectations from existing feeding type classifications. Our study shows that—despite limitations imposed by the biomass requirements for EA-IRMS (elemental analyser—isotope ratio mass spectrometry) natural isotope abundances of carbon and nitrogen are powerful tools to unravel trophic structure within nematode communities. At the same time, the prominence of different trophic levels results in a large span of d15N, largely invalidating the use of nitrogen isotope abundances to assess food sources and trophic level of whole nematode communities

Medusan Morphospace: Phylogenetic Constraints, Biomechanical Solutions, and Ecological Consequences

Medusae were the earliest animals to evolve muscle-powered swimming in the seas. Although medusae have achieved diverse and prominent ecological roles throughout the world\u27s oceans, we argue that the primitive organization of cnidarian muscle tissue limits force production and, hence, the mechanical alternatives for swimming bell function. We use a recently developed model comparing the potential force production with the hydrodynamic requirements of jet propulsion, and conclude that jet production is possible only at relatively small bell diameters. In contrast, production of a more complex wake via what we term rowing propulsion permits much larger sizes but requires a different suite of morphological features. Analysis of morphometric data from all medusan taxa independently confirms size-dependent patterns of bell forms that correspond with model predictions. Further, morphospace analysis indicates that various lineages within the Medusozoa have proceeded along either of two evolutionary trajectories. The first alternative involved restriction of jet-propelled medusan bell diameters to small dimensions. These medusae may be either solitary individuals (characteristic of Anthomedusae and Trachymedusae) or aggregates of small individual medusan units into larger colonial forms (characteristic of the nectophores of many members of the Siphonophorae). The second trajectory involved use of rowing propulsion (characteristic of Scyphozoa and some hydromedusan lineages such as the Leptomedusae and Narcomedusae) that allows much larger bell sizes. Convergence on either of the differing propulsive alternatives within the Medusozoa has emerged via parallel evolution among different medusan lineages. The distinctions between propulsive modes have important ecological ramifications because swimming and foraging are interdependent activities for medusae. Rowing swimmers are characteristically cruising predators that select different prey types from those selected by jet-propelled medusae, which are predominantly ambush predators. These relationships indicate that the different biomechanical solutions to constraints on bell function have entailed ecological consequences that are evident in the prey selection patterns and trophic impacts of contemporary medusan lineages

PICES Press, Vol. 18, No. 2, Summer 2010

•The 2010 Inter-sessional Science Board Meeting: A Note from the Science Board Chairman (pp. 1-3) •2010 Symposium on “Effects of Climate Change on Fish and Fisheries” (pp. 4-11) •2009 Mechanism of North Pacific Low Frequency Variability Workshop (pp. 12-14) •The Fourth China-Japan-Korea GLOBEC/IMBER Symposium (pp. 15-17, 23) •2010 Sendai Ocean Acidification Workshop (pp. 18-19, 31) •2010 Sendai Coupled Climate-to-Fish-to-Fishers Models Workshop (pp. 20-21) •2010 Sendai Salmon Workshop on Climate Change (pp. 22-23) •2010 Sendai Zooplankton Workshop (pp. 24-25, 28) •2010 Sendai Workshop on “Networking across Global Marine Hotspots” (pp. 26-28) •The Ocean, Salmon, Ecology and Forecasting in 2010 (pp. 29, 44) •The State of the Northeast Pacific during the Winter of 2009/2010 (pp. 30-31) •The State of the Western North Pacific in the Second Half of 2009 (pp. 32-33) •The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Events (pp. 34-35, 39) •PICES Seafood Safety Project: Guatemala Training Program (pp. 36-39) •The Pacific Ocean Boundary Ecosystem and Climate Study (POBEX) (pp. 40-43) •PICES Calendar (p. 44

Stochastic Desertification

The process of desertification is usually modeled as a first order transition, where a change of an external parameter (e.g. precipitation) leads to a catastrophic bifurcation followed by an ecological regime shift. However, vegetation elements like shrubs and trees undergo a stochastic birth-death process with an absorbing state; such a process supports a second order continuous transition with no hysteresis. We present a numerical study of a minimal model that supports bistability and catastrophic shift on spatial domain with demographic noise and an absorbing state. When the external parameter varies adiabatically the transition is continuous and the front velocity renormalizes to zero at the extinction transition. Below the transition one may identify three modes of desertification: accumulation of local catastrophes, desert invasion and global collapse. A catastrophic regime shift occurs as a dynamical hysteresis, when the pace of environmental variations is too fast. We present some empirical evidence, suggesting that the mid-holocene desertification of the Sahara was, indeed, continuous

Predictions of fish yields and the status of the Kainji Lake fishery, 1998

Length frequency data was collected for the 6 main species from the Kainji Lake fishery for up to 16 months. Growth parameters were estimated and used for virtual - population and length based cohort analysis. The results from cohort analysis suggest that before the ban on beach seines the maximum economic yield from the fishery was overshot by 70%. Yield per recruit analysis showed that the fish are caught far below their optimum size. Fishing gears and the timing responsible for this early mortality have been identified. After the eradication of seines from the lake a 10% increase in total catch revenue can be expected from the fishery. This is equivalent to an increase in income of Naira 18,300 per annum for each fishing entrepreneur using other methods. A scenario for the regulation of cast net mesh size together with the ban of beach seines has been presented. A further increase of Naira 142 million (N25,500 per entrepreneur) can be anticipated if this is implemented by the Kainji Lake Fisheries Management and Conservation Unit. It is expected that the annual increase in fishing effort presently experienced will cause future yields to decline. The rate of the decline has been reduced by the eradication of the beach seine fishery and will further fall if the minimum mesh size for cast nets is implemented. A recommendation is made to the Kainji Lake Fisheries Management and Conservation Unit to first consolidate the beach seine ban and then to implement a ban of undersized cast nets. (PDF contains 70 pages

Five Differences Between Ecological and Economic Networks

Ecological and economic networks have many similarities and are often compared. However, the comparison is often more apt as metaphor than a direct equivalence. In this paper, five key differences are explained which should inform any analysis which compares the two.Comment: 4 page

Awakened oscillations in coupled consumer-resource pairs

The paper concerns two interacting consumer-resource pairs based on chemostat-like equations under the assumption that the dynamics of the resource is considerably slower than that of the consumer. The presence of two different time scales enables to carry out a fairly complete analysis of the problem. This is done by treating consumers and resources in the coupled system as fast-scale and slow-scale variables respectively and subsequently considering developments in phase planes of these variables, fast and slow, as if they are independent. When uncoupled, each pair has unique asymptotically stable steady state and no self-sustained oscillatory behavior (although damped oscillations about the equilibrium are admitted). When the consumer-resource pairs are weakly coupled through direct reciprocal inhibition of consumers, the whole system exhibits self-sustained relaxation oscillations with a period that can be significantly longer than intrinsic relaxation time of either pair. It is shown that the model equations adequately describe locally linked consumer-resource systems of quite different nature: living populations under interspecific interference competition and lasers coupled via their cavity losses.Comment: 31 pages, 8 figures 2 tables, 48 reference

On the methodology of feeding ecology in fish

Feeding ecology explains predator’s preference to some preys over others in their habitat and their competitions thereof. The subject, as a functional and applied biology, is highly neglected, and in case of fish, a uniform and consistent methodology is absent. The currently practiced methods are largely centred on mathematical indices and highly erroneous because of non-uniform outcomes. Therefore, it requires a relook into the subject to elucidate functional contributions and to make it more comparable and comprehensive science. In this article, approachable methodological strategies have been forwarded in three hierarchical steps, namely, food occurrence, feeding biology and interpretative ecology. All these steps involve wide ranges of techniques, within the scope of ecology but not limited to, and traverse from narrative to functional evolutionary ecology. The first step is an assumption-observation practice to assess food of fish, followed by feeding biology that links morphological, histological, cytological, bacteriological or enzymological correlations to preferred food in the environment. Interpretative ecology is the higher level of analysis in which the outcomes are tested and discussed against evolutionary theories. A description of possible pedagogics on the methods of feeding ecological studies has also been forwarded