Description: Copepods comprise the majority of mesozooplankton communities in all marine regions. Their diversity is likely regulated by environmental parameters and species-specific ecophysiological aspects making the distributional pattern of certain species an environmental indicator to detect changes in the marine habitat. We studied copepod distribution and diversity at six stations along a meridional transect in the eastern Atlantic Ocean (25°N to 21°S) from surface to 2000 m depths. Community and trophic structures with special regard to calanoid copepods were analyzed. Below the euphotic zone, representatives of the family Spinocalanidae were particularly abundant and diverse but morphological species identification both of adults and juveniles was very challenging. To elucidate both diversity and species- and stage-specific vertical distribution of Spinocalanidae we therefore applied an integrated taxonomic approach combining morphology, DNA sequence analyses and proteomics using the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Each specimen was analysed by the three methodologies by portioning the whole organism. Species clusters were similar for DNA sequence analyses and MALDI-TOF MS and resulted in a higher amount of species clusters compared to the morphological identification. Since MALDI-TOF MS is a rather time- and cost-efficient technology, we were able to identify high individual numbers of the Spinocalanidae and received a quantitative, high species-resolution picture of adult and juvenile Spinocalanidae and their distributional patterns.

Description: The Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus and its congener, the Asian brush-clawed crab H. takanoi, were first found in Europe in 1999 and 1994, respectively. Hemigrapsus sanguineus was initially detected in Le Havre (France) and in the Oosterschelde (The Netherlands). Now it occurs from northern France to the German Wadden Sea. Hemigrapsus takanoi was originally found in La Rochelle (France) and is now established from the Bay of Biscay to the German Wadden Sea. In 2014, a Baltic Sea population was detected in Kiel Fjord (Germany), most likely introduced via the Kiel Canal. Here we summarize the most recent findings on the northern expansion of H. sanguineus and H. takanoi and their competition with the native counterpart, the green shore crab Carcinus maenas. Two population studies in the intertidal areas around the rocky island of Helgoland and the Wadden Sea island of Sylt (Germany) revealed that the three species favor different levels of wave exposure. Our studies presented the highest densities of Hemigrapsus spp. in Europe so far with 144 H. sanguineus m-2 on Helgoland, and more than 200 ind. m-2 of either species on Sylt. The Baltic population of H. takanoi is increasing in Kiel Fjord and adjacent bays. Individuals of H. takanoi were recently found in Wismar Bay, further east along the Baltic coast. In the framework of a citizen-science project, specimen of both species were found at the Swedish west coast, representing the northernmost records in Europe so far. The success of established populations and the continuous extension of the distribution areas suggest that the presence and impact of both Hemigrapsus species on European coasts will significantly increase in the future.

Description: Metabolic regulation, control of gene expression or the evolutionary origin of new proteins are examples of biochemical adaptations that allow organisms to survive within a wide spectrum of environmental conditions. The North Sea shrimp Crangon crangon has high reproduction rates. It is an opportunistic feeder and shows to be well adapted to heterogeneous and variable environmental conditions. Previous studies revealed unusual expression patterns and isoforms of digestive enzymes with a high variability between individuals and between seasons. Such a pronounced variability is not common in other decapod species. The unspecific feeding habits of C. crangon can be seen as an adaptation to a variable environment. This may be supported by the heterogeneity of digestive endopeptidases due to the variability of food sources. Previous studies showed protein polymorphism as a phase in molecular evolution. It represents the first step in the long‐lasting establishment of mutations within populations. The reasons for the unusual heterogeneity of digestive enzymes in C. crangon are not yet clear, but a better understanding of this phenomenon can help to explain the extraordinary performance of C. crangon in a highly variable environment. We obtained the transcriptome of midgut gland tissue from C. crangon, which we used as a basis for gene expression analyses. Additionally, the obtained sequences were analysed for isoforms of the key digestive enzymes. First results indicate that the expression of digestive enzymes in C. crangon follow a similar pattern as previously seen in enzyme activities. Cysteine proteinases seem to have more isoforms participating in the extracellular digestion than serine proteinases. This approach will help to better understand processes that modulate the unique expression pattern of digestive enzymes and biochemical strategies that allow this species to exist in a very variable environment.

Description: Hyperiidean amphipods are a major prey for fish and seabirds. In the Southern Ocean, they are particularly abundant, with distributions ranging from the Polar Frontal Zone to Antarctic shelf waters. The species Hyperiella dilatata has previously been reported to show a peculiar anti-predatory behaviour: It captures chemically protected, gymnosome pteropods in the water column and carries them on its dorsum, like a backpack. We report this association at four oceanic sampling sites between latitudes 45° and 71° S. Molecular barcodes of both hosts and pteropods are provided and compared with those of other hyperiidean and pteropod specimens. Morphological identifications as well as molecular analyses show a so far undocumented association of Hyperiella antarctica with the pteropod Spongiobranchaea australis in the Polar Frontal Zone (Lazarev Sea). H. dilatata carried Clione limacina antarctica specimens in the Weddell Sea, as recorded previously for the Ross Sea. Lengths of the abducted pteropods varied between 1 and 5 mm, with the biggest pteropod measuring more than half the host’s size. One of the abducting amphipods was a female carrying eggs. The formation of such tandem is known to be very efficient as protection from visually hunting icefish in the crystal-clear coastal waters around the Antarctic continent; however, in the open ocean, this behaviour was so far undocumented. Here, we develop hypotheses on its origin and function.

Description: Hyperiid amphipods are predatory pelagic crustaceans that are particularly prevalent in high-latitude oceans. Many species are likely to have co-evolved with soft-bodied zooplankton groups such as salps and medusae, using them as substrate, for food, shelter or reproduction. Compared to other pelagic groups, such as fish, euphausiids and soft-bodied zooplankton, hyperiid amphipods are poorly studied especially in terms of their distribution and ecology. Hyperiids of the genus Themisto, comprising seven distinct species, are key players in temperate and cold-water pelagic ecosystems where they reach enormous levels of biomass. In these areas, they are important components of marine food webs, and they are major prey for many commercially important fish and squid stocks. In northern parts of the Southern Ocean, Themisto are so prevalent that they are considered to take on the role that Antarctic krill play further south. Nevertheless, although they are around the same size as krill, and may also occur in swarms, their feeding behaviour and mode of reproduction are completely different, hence their respective impacts on ecosystem structure differ. Themisto are major predators of meso- and macrozooplankton in several major oceanic regions covering shelves to open ocean from the polar regions to the subtropics. Based on a combination of published and unpublished occurrence data, we plot out the distributions of the seven species of Themisto. Further, we consider the different predators that rely on Themisto for a large fraction of their diet, demonstrating their major importance for higher trophic levels such as fish, seabirds and mammals. For instance, T. gaudichaudii in the Southern Ocean comprises a major part of the diets of around 80 different species of squid, fish, seabirds and marine mammals, while T. libellula in the Bering Sea and Greenland waters is a main prey item for commercially exploited fish species. We also consider the ongoing and predicted range expansions of Themisto species in light of environmental changes. In northern high latitudes, sub-Arctic Themisto species are replacing truly Arctic, ice-bound, species. In the Southern Ocean, a range expansion of T. gaudichaudii is expected as water masses warm, impacting higher trophic levels and biogeochemical cycles. We identify the many knowlegde gaps that must be filled in order to evaluate, monitor and predict the ecological shifts that will result from the changing patterns of distribution and abundance of this important pelagic group.

Description: Environmental fluctuations can impose energetic constraints on organisms in terms of food shortage or compensation for metabolic stress. To better understand the biochemical strategies that support adaptive physiological processes in variable environments, we studied the lipid dynamics of the brown shrimp Crangon crangon and the pink shrimp Pandalus montagui by analysing their midgut glands during an annual cycle. Both species have an overlapping distribu- tion range in the southern North Sea, but differ in their habitat preferences, reproductive strate- gies, and life-history traits. C. crangon showed minor total lipid accumulation in their midgut glands, ranging between 14 and 17% of dry mass (DM), dominated by phospholipids. In contrast, P. montagui stored significantly larger amounts of total lipid (47−70% DM, mainly triacylglycer- ols) and showed a distinct seasonal cycle in lipid accumulation with a maximum in summer. Fatty acid trophic markers indicated a wide food spectrum for both species, with higher preferences of P. montagui for microalgae. In C. crangon, feeding preferences were less distinct due the low total lipid levels in the midgut gland. PCA based on fatty acid compositions of both species suggested that C. crangon has a broader dietary spectrum than P. montagui. C. crangon seems to have the capacity to use sufficient energy directly from ingested food to fuel all metabolic requirements, including multiple spawnings, without building up large lipid reserves in the midgut gland. P. montagui, in contrast, relies more on the energy storage function of the midgut gland to over- come food scarcity and to allocate lipids for reproduction.

Description: Climate change proceeding at unprecedented pace is currently redistributing life on Earth. Warming of the upper ocean and the atmosphere have altered sea ice extent and seasonal dynamics in the Arctic, and similar changes are observed in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean and West Antarctic. This affects stocks of major pelagic species such as krill. A so far neglected key player, the predatory amphipod genus Themisto, covers a distribution from temperate to polar regions where it regionally represents the dominant food source for higher trophic levels. Poleward range expansions of several Themisto species have been already been documented or predicted as warming continues. In the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, changes in seasonal sea ice extension are causing strong annual variations of krill stocks, whilst salps are on the rise and shifting their distribution poleward. A third key player, Themisto gaudichaudii, is now also anticipated to extend its range southward. In the Arctic, the ice-dependent Arctic T. libellula and the sub-Arctic boreal T. abyssorum co-exist. Considering the ongoing Atlantification of the Arctic, a range expansion of T. abyssorum concomitant with a retraction of T. libellula’s range are very likely to occur. Due to major knowledge gaps in the ecology, biology and genetic connectivity of Themisto species, the likelihood of range shifts and their consequences for food web structures and biogeochemical cycles remain largely unexplored. We conducted a comparative study of Themisto populations to investigate their distribution, connectivity and trophic ecology. Using population genetic methods, the species status and phylogeography of T. gaudichaudii, were characterized. A genetic homogeneity and high degree of phenotypic plasticity related to feeding morphology were revealed, indicating the potential of T. gaudichaudii lineages to thrive in regions further south. In order to predict the consequences of an increased predation pressure of T. gaudichaudii which may influence the standing stock of Antarctic krill and salps, feeding experiments and molecular diet analyses were carried out. Similar analyses were applied on Themisto species from the northern hemisphere, in order to characterize their genetic connectivity within and across different water masses (Atlantic vs. polar) in Fram Strait and East Greenland and compare with the Antarctic populations.