Description: Schwerpunkt der Arbeit ist die Untersuchung der geographischen Verbreitung und Vertikalverteilung der Chaetagnathen im Gebiet rund um die Antarktische Halbinsel. Die bearbeiteten Proben stammen hauptsächlich aus dem RMT-8 M, vergleichend werden auch Nansen-Schließnetzfänge (NSN) und im Gebiet der nördlichen Weddell See RMT-1 M-Proben analysiert. Die nördliche Weddell See weist von allen untersuchten Gebieten in den drei Netzen die höchsten Häufigkeiten an Chaetagnathen auf. Im Untersuchungsgebiet sind in den RMT-8-Fängen regelmäßig die Arten S. gazellae, E. hamata, S. marri, S. maxima und E. bathypelagica in Abhängigkeit von der Tiefe vertreten. E. bathyantarctica kommt vereinzelt - hauptsächlich in den NSN-Fängen aus über 1000 m Tiefe - vor. S. gazellae und S. maxima sind in den NSN-Proben kaum vertreten. Zwei möglicherweise bisher unbekannte Arten der Gattung Heterakrohnia (n=10) sowie ein nicht einzuordnendes Exemplar einer vielleicht neuen Gattung ("Heterospadella") sind in den NSN-Fängen aus großer Tiefe (〉1000 m) enthalten, bedürfen jedoch noch der Absicherung. Die im Untersuchungsgebiet am häufigsten anzutreffende Art E. hamata ist mit Ausnahme des direkten Oberflächenbereichs in der gesamten Wassersäule bis in über 1000 m Tiefe nachzuweisen. In den NSN-Proben ist diese Art hauptsächlich zwischen 200 m und 500 m vertreten, in den RMT-1-Proben liegt ihr Abundanzmaximum ebenfalls in diesem Bereich. Mit zunehmender Tiefe ansteigende Häufigkeiten weisen dagegen die RMT-8-Proben auf. Dieses Netz (4,5 mm Maschenweite) erfaßt die kleineren Chaetagnathen nicht. S. gazellae ist in den RMT-8-Proben schwerpunktmäßig zwischen 250 bis 400 m zu finden, die RMT-1-Fänge zeigen maximale Abundanzen zwischen 75 m und 135 m, im RMT-1 nehmen die Häufigkeiten von S. gazellae mit zunehmender Tiefe ab. S. marri, S. maxima und E. bathypelagica kommen verstärkt in größeren Tiefen unterhalb von 200 m in den Proben vor. S. marri und die seltenere S. maxima besiedeln hauptsächlich den mesopelagischen Bereich, die Hauptverbreitungszone von E. bathypelagica liegt tiefer als die von S. marri und S. maxima. Die untersuchten Dauerstationen lassen keine tagesperiodischen Wanderungen der Chaetognathen erkennen. Die Verteilungen der Längen-Häufigkeiten und der Reifestadien zeigen für S. gazellae und E. hamata eine tiefengebundene Größenstaffelung, gekoppelt mit einem fortschreitenden Reifungsprozeß, d.h. mit zunehmender Tiefe treten durchschnittlich größere, reifere lndividuen auf. Für S. marri und S. maxima lassen die Ergebnisse ein ähnliches Phänomen vermuten. Über E. bathypelagica und E. bathyantarctica können aufgrund der geringen Anzahl an gefangenen Tieren keine Aussagen gemacht werden. Eine Korrelation der Abundanzen mit den hydrographischen Umweltdaten (Temperatur, Salzgehalt) weist S. gazellae und E. hamata für antarktische Verhältnisse als eher eurytherme und euryhaline Arten aus. S. marri, S. maxima und E. bathypelagica sind geringeren Salzgehaltsänderungen unterworfen. Minimale Salzgehaltsschwankungen treten im Bereich maximaler Abundanz auf. Die Temperatur- und Salzgehaltsspektren, in denen die fünf Arten im Untersuchungsgebiet vorkommen, bzw. Verbreitungsschwerpunkte haben, werden angegeben. Es werden Angaben zu Darminhalt und Parasitenbefall der Chaetognathen gemacht.

Description: Zooplankton grazing on bacterio- and phytoplankton was studied in the Gulf of Aqaba and the Northern Red Sea during Meteor Cruise Me 44-2 in February-March 1999. Protozoan grazing on bacterioplankton and autotrophic ultraplankton was studied by the Landry dilution method. Microzooplankton grazing on phytoplankton 〉6 µm was studied by incubation experiments in the presence and absence of microzooplankton. Mesozooplankton grazing was studied by measuring per capita clearance rates of individual zooplankton with radioactively labelled food organisms and estimating in situ rates from abundance values. Protozoan grazing rates on heterotrophic bacteria and on algae 〈6 µm were high (bacteria: 0.7 to 1.1 d-1, ultraphytoplankton: 0.7 to 1.3 d-1), while grazing rates on Synechococcus spp. were surprisingly low and undetectable in some experiments. Mesozooplankton grazing was weak, cumulative grazing rates being ca. 2 orders of magnitude smaller than the grazing rates by protozoans. Among mesozooplankton, appendicularians specialised on smaller food items and calanoid copepods on larger ones.

Description: The brown shrimp Crangon crangon is a key component of the North Atlantic coastal food web and an important target species for the fishery economy. As the brown shrimp contains large amounts of protein and essential fatty acids, its consumption makes it a beneficial choice for humans. Commercially harvested crustaceans like C. crangon are frequently affected by bacterial shell disease, with necrotizing erosions and ulcerations of the cuticle. To determine whether shell disease influences the nutritional value of C. crangon, total protein and lipid contents, as well as fatty acid compositions of muscle tissue and hepatopancreas, together with the hepatosomatic index, were examined in healthy and affected individuals. The biochemical composition of the tissues did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Also, the hepatosomatic index, as an indicator of energy reserves in shrimps, was similar between healthy and affected animals. Our results indicate that the nutritional value of C. crangon is not affected by shell disease, as long as it remains superficial as in the present study.

Description: The brown shrimp, Crangon crangon, is well adapted to the variable environmental conditions in the southern North Sea. It is very abundant, has high reproduction rates, and holds a key position in coastal ecosystems. This species has very low lipid deposits in the midgut gland, suggesting that the main function of the midgut gland is metabolic turnover rather than energy storage. Based on seasonal gene expression studies and established transcriptome data, we investigated key components of lipid metabolic pathways. Gene expression of triacylglycerol lipase, phospholipase, and fatty acid desaturase were analyzed and compared with that of other digestive enzymes involved in lipid, carbohydrate, and protein catabolism. Our results suggest that gene expression of digestive enzymes involved in lipid metabolism is modulated by the lipid content in the midgut gland and is related to food availability. Brown shrimp seem to be capable of using cellular phospholipids during periods of food paucity but high energetic (lipid) requirements. Two of three isoforms of fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) from the midgut gland involved in fatty acid transport showed specific mutations of the binding site. We hypothesize that the mutations in FABPs and deficiencies in anabolic pathways limit lipid storage capacities in the midgut gland of C. crangon. In turn, food utilization, including lipid catabolism, has to be efficient to fulfill the energetic requirements of brown shrimp.

Description: Background: Trophic interactions are key processes, which determine the ecological function and performance of organisms. Many decapod crustaceans feed on plant material as a source for essential nutrients, e.g. polyunsaturated fatty acids. Strictly herbivorous feeding appears only occasionally in marine decapods but is common in land crabs. To verify food preferences and to establish trophic markers, we studied the lipid and fatty acid composition of the midgut glands of two marine crab species (Grapsus albolineatus and Percnon affine), one semi-terrestrial species (Orisarma intermedium, formerly Sesarmops intermedius), and one terrestrial species (Geothelphusa albogilva) from Taiwan. Results: All species showed a wide span of total lipid levels ranging from 4 to 42% of the dry mass (%DM) in the marine P. affine and from 3 to 25%DM in the terrestrial G. albogilva. Triacylglycerols (TAG) were the major storage lipid compound. The fatty acids 16:0, 18:1(n-9), and 20:4(n-6) prevailed in all species. Essential fatty acids such as 20:4(n-6) originated from the diet. Terrestrial species also showed relatively high amounts of 18:2(n-6), which is a trophic marker for vascular plants. The fatty acid compositions of the four species allow to clearly distinguish between marine and terrestrial herbivorous feeding due to significantly different amounts of 16:0, 18:1(n-9), and 18:2(n-6). Conclusions: Based on the fatty acid composition, marine/terrestrial herbivory indices were defined and compared with regard to their resolution and differentiating capacity. These indices can help to reveal trophic preferences of unexplored species, particularly in habitats of border regions like mangrove intertidal flats and estuaries.

Description: The study revealed species- and stage-specific differences in lipid accumulation of the dominant Antarctic copepods, the primarily herbivorous Calanoides acutus (copepodite stage V (CV), females) and the more omnivorous Calanus propinquus (females) storing wax esters and triacylglycerols, respectively, which were collected in summer (end of December). Feeding carbon-labelled diatoms to these copepods, 13C elucidated assimilation and turnover rates of copepod total lipids as well as specific fatty acids and alcohols. The 13C incorporation was monitored by compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA). CV stages of C. acutus exhibited an intense total lipid turnover and 55% of total lipidswere labelled after 9 days of feeding. By contrast, total lipid assimilation of female C. acutus and C. propinquus was lower with 29% and 32%, respectively. The major dietary fatty acids 16:0, 16:1(n − 7) and 20:5(n − 3) had high turnover rates in all specimens. In C. acutus CV, the high rates of the de novo synthesized long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids and alcohols 20:1(n − 9) and 22:1(n − 11) indicate intense lipid deposition, whereas these rates were low in females. The differences in lipid assimilation and turnover clearly show that the copepod species exhibit a high variability and plasticity to adapt their lipid production to their various life phases. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The next horizons for lipids as ‘trophic biomarkers’: evidence and significance of consumer modification of dietary fatty acids’.

Description: Aim Biodiversity dynamics comprise evolutionary and ecological changes on multiple temporal scales from millions of years to decades, but they are often interpreted within a single time frame. Planktonic foraminifera communities offer a unique opportunity for analysing the dynamics of marine biodiversity over different temporal scales. Our study aims to provide a baseline for assessments of biodiversity patterns over multiple time-scales, which is urgently needed to interpret biodiversity responses to increasing anthropogenic pressure. Location Global (26 sites). Time period Five time-scales: multi-million-year (0-7 Myr), million-year (0-0.5 Myr), multi-millennial (0-15 thousand years), millennial (0-1,100 years) and decadal (0-32 years). Major taxa studied Planktonic foraminifera. Methods We analysed community composition of planktonic foraminifera at five time-scales, combining measures of standing diversity (richness and effective number of species, ENS) with measures of temporal community turnover (presence-absence-based, dominance-based). Observed biodiversity patterns were compared with the outcome of a neutral model to separate the effects of sampling resolution (the highest in the shortest time series) from biological responses. Results Richness and ENS decreased from multi-million-year to millennial time-scales, but higher standing diversity was observed on the decadal scale. As predicted by the neutral model, turnover in species identity and dominance was strongest at the multi-million-year time-scale and decreased towards the millennial scale. However, contrary to the model predictions, modern time series show rapid decadal variation in the dominance structure of foraminifera communities, which is of comparable magnitude as over much longer time periods. Community turnover was significantly correlated with global temperature change, but not on the shortest time-scale. Main conclusions Biodiversity patterns can be to some degree predicted from the scaling effects related to different durations of time series, but changes in the dominance structure observed over the last few decades reach higher magnitude, probably forced by anthropogenic effects, than those observed over much longer durations.