Use of Continuous Plankton Recorder information in support of marine management: applications in fisheries, environmental protection, and in the study of ecosystem response to environmental change

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey was conceived from the outset as a programme of applied research designed to assist the fishing industry. Its survival and continuing vigour after 70 years is a testament to its utility, which has been achieved in spite of great changes in our understanding of the marine environment and in our concerns over how to manage it. The CPR has been superseded in several respects by other technologies, such as acoustics and remote sensing, but it continues to provide unrivalled seasonal and geographic information about a wide range of zooplankton and phytoplankton taxa. The value of this coverage increases with time and provides the basis for placing recent observations into the context of long-term, large-scale variability and thus suggesting what the causes are likely to be. Information from the CPR is used extensively in judging environmental impacts and producing quality status reports (QSR); it has shown the distributions of fish stocks, which had not previously been exploited; it has pointed to the extent of ungrazed phytoplankton production in the North Atlantic, which was a vital element in establishing the importance of carbon sequestration by phytoplankton.The CPR continues to be the principal source of large-scale, long-term information about the plankton ecosystem of the North Atlantic. It has recently provided extensive information about the biodiversity of the plankton and about the distribution of introduced species. It serves as a valuable example for the design of future monitoring of the marine environment and it has been essential to the design and implementation of most North Atlantic plankton research.     

The Continuous Plankton Recorder: concepts and history, from Plankton Indicator to undulating recorders

Alister Hardy conceived the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey in the 1920s as a means of mapping near-surface plankton in space and time, interpreting the changing fortunes of the fisheries and relating plankton changes to hydrometeorology and climatic change. The seed he planted has grown to become the most extensive long-term survey of marine organisms in the world and the breadth of his vision becomes ever more apparent. The survey has now run for over 70 years and its value increases with every passing decade. Operating from ‘ships of opportunity’ the machines used are robust, reliable and easy to handle. Wherever possible, all the sampling and analytical methods have not been changed to maintain the consistency of the time series. Computerisation and the development of new statistical approaches have increased our ability to handle the large quantities of information generated and enhance the sensitivity of the data analyses. This overview, based on almost 900 papers, recounts the various phases in the history of the survey. It starts with the Indicator Survey (1921–1934), the deployment of the first CPR on the Discovery Expedition (1924–1927) and the early CPR survey in the North Sea (1931–1939). The survey reopened in 1946 after the Second World War and expanded across the North Atlantic to North America from 1959. Taxonomic studies were initiated and an emphasis was placed on patterns of distribution, which were seen to reflect the varying oceanographic conditions. The years 1968–1976 saw further expansion with operations even in the American Great Lakes, publication of a Plankton Atlas and initial evidence for a downward trend in plankton biomass. At about this time electronic instrumentation was attached to CPRs to make additional measurements and work was started on the development of a new generation of undulating Continuous Plankton and Environmental Recorders (CPERs). In 1976 the survey moved to Plymouth. Scientific priorities in the UK changed in the subsequent decade and funding became more difficult to secure even though some of the CPR papers being published at the time are now regarded as classics in plankton ecology. In 1988 the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) decided to close the survey. An international rescue operation led to the creation of the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) in 1990, which has continued with consortium funding from a number of countries, and from 1999 again included NERC. The scientific rationale of the survey has gained credibility as concern over climate change and other anthropogenic effects has grown and as the key role that plankton plays as an indicator of large-scale environmental conditions becomes ever more apparent. Recently, the survey became an integral component of the Global Ocean Observation System (GOOS) and expanded into the North Pacific. It plays a complementary role in many large international and multidisciplinary projects and is providing inspiration, advice and support to daughter surveys elsewhere in the world. At the start of a new millennium, Hardy’s vision from the 1920s is a powerful driving force not just in international biological oceanography, but in global environmental science.     

Benthic Metabolism and Standing Stock in the Central and Northern Deep Red Sea

Abstract. Benthic metabolism and standing stocks were investigated in the deep Red Sea between 21^o and 27^oN, Activity was assessed by the determination of respiration rates with a shipboard method and by calculating oxygen consumption from the activity in the electron transport system. We attempted to compare results from different latitudes within the warm Red Sea and with data from cold Atlantic environments. Our investigations were part of an environmental risk assessment to evaluate future mining of metalliferous sediments from the Atlantis II Deep.     

The European coastal zone: characterization and first assessment of ecosystem metabolism

The geomorphic, oceanographic, terrestrial and anthropogenic attributes of the European coastal zone are described and published data on ecosystem function (primary production and respiration) are reviewed. Four regions are considered: the Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the European Atlantic coast including the North Sea. The metabolic database (194 papers) suffers from a non-homogeneous geographical coverage with no usable data for the Black Sea which was therefore excluded from this part of our study. Pelagic gross primary production in European open shelves is, by far, the most documented parameter with an estimated mean of 41 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹, the lowest value is reported in the Mediterranean Sea (21 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹) and the highest one in the Atlantic/North Sea area (51 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹). Microphytobenthic primary production, mostly measured in shallow areas, is extrapolated to the entire 0–200 m depth range. Its contribution to total primary production is low in all regions (mean: 1.5 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹). Although macrophyte beds are very productive, a regional production estimate is not provided in this study because their geographical distribution along the European coastline remains unknown. Measurements of pelagic community respiration are clearly too sparse, especially below the euphotic zone, to yield an accurate picture of the fate of organic matter produced in the water column. With a mean value of 17 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹, benthic community respiration consumes approximately 40% of the pelagic organic matter production. Estuaries generally exhibit high metabolic rates and a large range of variation in all parameters, except microphytobenthic primary production. Finally, the problem of eutrophication in Europe is discussed and the metabolic data obtained in the framework of the Land–Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) project are compared with available direct measurements of net ecosystem production.     

水产动物雷帕霉素受体信号通路的研究进展

雷帕霉素受体信号通路(mTOR信号通路)广泛存在于真核生物细胞中,能够接收来自营养素、生长因子或者环境胁迫等的信号,通过调控细胞的合成代谢和分解代谢,实现对细胞生长和生理活动的精确调控。在mTOR信号通路的研究中,水产养殖动物mTOR信号通路的研究仅见于少数几种鱼类、对虾和蟹类,且其研究深度远远落后于模式生物。本文综述了近年来mTOR信号通路的研究进展,包括TOR蛋白的发现与组成,以及参与mTOR信号通路的信号因子和信号通路调控生命过程的机制。同时,本文重点阐述了mTOR信号通路在水产动物细胞中的研究现状,说明了水产动物mTOR信号通路研究的必要性,以期为水产养殖动物mTOR信号通路的进一步研究提供参考。     

饲料中添加芽孢杆菌组分对凡纳滨对虾幼虾生长、能量代谢和抗WSSV能力的影响

以凡纳滨对虾(Litopnnaus vannamei)幼虾为实验动物,在其基础饲料中分别添加芽孢杆菌(Bacillus sp.)胞外蛋白粗提物(1.0%,胞外蛋白组)、胞内多糖粗提物(1.0%,胞内多糖组),以基础饲料为对照组饲料,进行为期28d的养殖实验,探讨芽孢杆菌胞外蛋白和胞内多糖粗提物对幼虾生长、能量代谢及抗病能力的影响。研究表明,芽孢杆菌2种粗提物对凡纳滨对虾的生长和成活率影响不显著(P>0.05)。饲喂2种粗提物影响了凡纳滨对虾肝胰腺和肌肉中能量代谢相关酶活力。胞外蛋白组肝胰腺中磷酸果糖激酶(PFK)、乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)活力在养殖实验前期显著高于对照组(P<0.05),而肌肉中PFK、LDH活力显著低于对照组(P<0.05);胞内多糖组肝胰腺中己糖激酶(HK)活力及肌肉中PFK、LDH活力显著低于对照组(P<0.05)。饲喂2种粗提物均显著提高了凡纳滨对虾肌肉中琥珀酸脱氢酶(SDH)活力和肝胰腺中电子传递系统(ETS)活力(P<0.05),胞外蛋白粗提物对肝胰腺中的SDH活力也有显著的提高作用(P<0.05)。饲喂2种粗提物显著降低了凡纳滨对虾肝胰腺及肌肉组织中脂肪酸合酶(FAS)含量(P<0.05)。此外,饲喂2种粗提物均会显著提高凡纳滨对虾肠道蛋白酶活力(P<0.05),而胞外蛋白粗提物使凡纳滨对虾肠道脂肪酶活力显著降低(P<0.05)。白斑综合征病毒(WSSV)感染后,与对照组相比,胞外蛋白组和胞内多糖组凡纳滨对虾半致死时间分别延长了26.19%和7.14%。根据以上结果推测,芽苞杆菌2种粗提物能够影响凡纳滨对虾能量代谢水平并提高其抗WSSV能力,且二者之间密切相关。     

基于转录组测序对两种氮素营养条件下多形微眼藻氮代谢途径的解析

探究微藻的氮代谢通路对了解其对不同氮源利用的分子机制具有重要意义。本研究利用Illumina高通量测序技术对两种氮素营养条件下(硝酸氮和尿素)多形微眼藻的转录组进行分析,通过基因功能注释及数字基因表达谱分析,研究了多形微眼藻细胞内氮代谢的调控机制。结果检测出15种参与氮代谢的酶,对应76个编码基因,构建了多形微眼藻的氮代谢通路图。其中10个酶编码基因在两种不同氮素营养条件下存在差异表达,最显著的是谷氨酸合成酶、谷氨酸脱氢酶和谷氨酰胺合成酶相关基因。有机氮源(尿素)实验组中,多形微眼藻细胞内的硝酸盐还原酶、亚硝酸盐还原酶等基因的差异表达明显高于无机氮源(硝酸钠)实验组,表明当环境中的氮源为尿素时,会对多形微眼藻细胞内硝酸盐的转化和利用有一定影响。本研究初步阐述了硝酸盐、尿素的吸收转运对多形微眼藻细胞内氮代谢的影响机制,可为硅藻在不同氮素营养条件下的吸收利用机制及氮代谢响应研究提供依据。     

Metabolism of pectenotoxins in brown crabs <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cancer pagurus</Emphasis> fed with blue mussels <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mytilus edulis</Emphasis>

We investigated the metabolism of pectenotoxins in brown crabs(Cancer pagurus).The crabs were fed with blue mussels(Mytilus edulis) for 21 d then depurated for 42 d.We extracted the toxins from the digestive glands of contaminated crabs,uncontaminated crabs(control group),and the meat of blue mussels using methanol.Extracts of the crab digestive glands were fractionated by liquid-liquid partitioning and solid phase extraction.The fractions were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spec...     

Large bio-geographical shifts in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean: From the subpolar gyre, via plankton, to blue whiting and pilot whales

Pronounced changes in fauna, extending from the English Channel in the south to the Barents Sea in the north-east and off Greenland in the north-west, have occurred in the late 1920s, the late 1960s and again in the late 1990s. We attribute these events to exchanges of subarctic and subtropical water masses in the north-eastern North Atlantic Ocean, associated with changes in the strength and extent of the subpolar gyre. These exchanges lead to variations in the influence exerted by the subarctic or Lusitanian biomes on the intermediate faunistic zone in the north-eastern Atlantic. This strong and persistent bottom-up bio-physical link is demonstrated using a numerical ocean general circulation model and data on four trophically connected levels in the food chain – phytoplankton, zooplankton, blue whiting, and pilot whales. The plankton data give a unique basin-scale depiction of these changes, and a long pilot whale record from the Faroe Islands offers an exceptional temporal perspective over three centuries. Recent advances in simulating the dynamics of the subpolar gyre suggests a potential for predicting the distribution of the main faunistic zones in the north-eastern Atlantic a few years into the future, which might facilitate a more rational management of the commercially important fisheries in this region.     

Revisiting Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens) trophodynamics provides a new vision of the Humboldt Current system

The Peruvian anchovy or anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) forages on plankton and is a main prey for marine mammals, seabirds, fish, and fishers, and is therefore a key element of the food web in the Humboldt Current system (HCS). Here, we present results from the analysis of 21,203 anchoveta stomach contents sampled during 23 acoustic surveys over the period 1996–2003. Prey items were identified to the genus level, and the relative dietary importance of different prey was assessed by determination of their carbon content. Variability in stomach fullness was examined relative to the diel cycle, the distance from the coast, sea surface temperature, and latitude, using generalized additive models (GAMs). Whereas phytoplankton largely dominated anchoveta diets in terms of numerical abundance and comprised >99% of ingested prey items, the carbon content of prey items indicated that zooplankton was by far the most important dietary component, with euphausiids contributing 67.5% of dietary carbon followed by copepods (26.3%). Stomach fullness data showed that anchoveta feed mainly during daytime between 07h00 and 18h00, although night-time feeding also made a substantial contribution to total food consumption. Stomach fullness also varied with latitude, distance from the coast, and temperature, but with substantial variability indicating a high degree of plasticity in anchoveta feeding behaviour. The results suggest an ecological role for anchoveta that challenges current understanding of its position in the foodweb, the functioning of the HCS, and trophic models of the HCS.