Description: The region of the Filchner Outflow System (FOS) in the southeastern Weddell Sea is characterized by intensive and complex interactions of different water masses. Dense Ice Shelf Water (ISW) emerging from beneath the ice shelf cavities on the continental shelf, meets Modified Warm Deep Water (MWDW) originating from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current at the sill of the Filchner Trough. These hydrographic features convert the FOS into an oceanographic key region, which may also show enhanced biological productivity and corresponding aggregations of marine top predators. In this context, six adult Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) were instrumented with CTD-combined satellite relay data loggers in austral summer 2014. By means of these long-term data loggers we aimed at investigating the influence of environmental conditions on the seals' foraging behaviour throughout seasons, focussing on the local oceanographic features. Weddell seals performed pelagic and demersal dives, mainly on the continental shelf, where they presumably exploited the abundant bentho-pelagic fish fauna. Diurnal and seasonal variations in light availability affected foraging activities. MWDW was associated with increased foraging effort. However, we observed differences in movements and habitat use between two different groups of Weddell seals. Seals tagged in the pack ice of the FOS focussed their foraging activities to the western and, partly, eastern flank of the Filchner Trough, which coincides with inflow pathways of MWDW. In contrast, Weddell seals tagged on the coastal fast ice exhibited typical central-place foraging and utilized resources close to their colony. High foraging effort in MWDW and high utilization of areas associated with an inflow of MWDW raise questions on the underlying biological features. This emphasizes the importance of further interdisciplinary ecological investigations in the near future, as the FOS may soon be impacted by predicted climatic changes.

Description: The Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus (De Haan, 1853) has recently established populations in the North Sea and now occurs within the native ranges of the green crab Carcinus maenas (Linnaeus, 1758). To determine potential competitive effects and to assess the progress of the invasion, species-specific population characteristics (numerical abundances, biomasses, and size distributions) of the two species around the island of Helgoland (German Bight, southern North Sea) were compared for surveys conducted in 2009 and 2014. Sampling sites were chosen based on accessibility and differed in their topography and wave exposure, which allowed testing for the influence of these factors on the establishment success of H. sanguineus. The numerical abundance and biomass of H. sanguineus increased markedly and approached those of C. maenas in 2014. At a sheltered site, H. sanguineus even outnumbered C. maenas, whereas the converse was observed at a site exposed to strong winds and waves. Although such contrasting abundance patterns between the native and the introduced shore crab may be the result of direct interference, the dominance of H. sanguineus at the sheltered site may also be explained by enhanced larval settling rates caused by odors of conspecifics. The results suggest that the invasion of H. sanguineus has not yet reached its equilibrium, and population abundances in the North Sea are expected to further increase in the future.

Description: The majority of global ocean production and total export production is attributed to oligotrophic oceanic regions due to their vast regional expanse. However, energy transfers, food-web structures and trophic relationships in these areas remain largely unknown. Regional and vertical inter- and intra-specific differences in trophic interactions and dietary preferences of calanoid copepods were investigated in four different regions in the open eastern Atlantic Ocean (38°N to 21°S) in October/November 2012 using a combination of fatty acid (FA) and stable isotope (SI) analyses. Mean carnivory indices (CI) based on FA trophic markers generally agreed with trophic positions (TP) derived from d15N analysis. Most copepods were classified as omnivorous (CI ~0.5, TP 1.8 to ~2.5) or carnivorous (CI 〉=0.7, TP 〉=2.9). Herbivorous copepods showed typical CIs of 〈=0.3. Geographical differences in d15N values of epi- (200-0 m) to mesopelagic (1000-200 m) copepods reflected corresponding spatial differences in baseline d15N of particulate organic matter from the upper 100 m. In contrast, species restricted to lower meso- and bathypelagic (2000-1000 m) layers did not show this regional trend. FA compositions were species-specific without distinct intra-specific vertical or spatial variations. Differences were only observed in the southernmost region influenced by the highly productive Benguela Current. Apparently, food availability and dietary composition were widely homogeneous throughout the oligotrophic oceanic regions of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic. Four major species clusters were identified by principal component analysis based on FA compositions. Vertically migrating species clustered with epi- to mesopelagic, non-migrating species, of which only Neocalanus gracilis was moderately enriched in lipids with 16% of dry mass (DM) and stored wax esters (WE) with 37% of total lipid (TL). All other species of this cluster had low lipid contents (〈 10% DM) without WE. Of these, the tropical epipelagic Undinula vulgaris showed highest portions of bacterial markers. Rhincalanus cornutus, R. nasutus and Calanoides carinatus formed three separate clusters with species-specific lipid profiles, high lipid contents (〉=41% DM), mainly accumulated as WE (〉=79% TL). C. carinatus and R. nasutus were primarily herbivorous with almost no bacterial input. Despite deviating feeding strategies, R. nasutus clustered with deep-dwelling, carnivorous species, which had high amounts of lipids (〉=37% DM) and WE (〉=54% TL). Tropical and subtropical calanoid copepods exhibited a wide variety of life strategies, characterized by specialized feeding. This allows them, together with vertical habitat partitioning, to maintain high abundance and diversity in tropical oligotrophic open oceans, where they play an essential role in the energy flux and carbon cycling.