Herbivores enable plant survival under nutrient limited conditions in a model grazing system

We make a theoretical study of nitrogen cycling in a model of a grazing system with five compartments. The rates of uptake of nutrient by plants and herbivores are allowed nonlinear forms which involve no a priori assumptions about whether the system is subject to top-down or bottom-up control. We derive a method of piecewise linear approximation which allows analytical study of the system. We then use this method to investigate the properties of the equilibrium states of the system, and in particular whether the system favours donor- or recipient-control, the grazing optimization problem, and the potential benefits of herbivory to plant growth. We are able to generalise our results to all uptake functions of the same qualitative class as those considered, and to show that in general the system will tend to a stable equilibrium state of donor-controlled herbivory. In this model, the presence of the ‘right’ class of herbivore is not only beneficial to plant growth in certain circumstances, but can be essential to their survival, allowing plants to co-exist with herbivores under conditions in which they would be unable to survive alone.     

Effect of starvation on the energy budget of two Asian horseshoe crab species: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tachypleus tridentatus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda</Emphasis> (Chelicerata: Xiphosura)

Energy budget is one of the most studied parameters in aquatic animals under environmental challenge. To examine how prolonged starvation would affect their energy budget, respiration rate (RR), ammonia excretion rate (ER), oxygen consumption to ammonia–nitrogen excretion (O:N) ratio and scope for growth (SfG) representing the balance between energy intake and metabolic output, two Asian horseshoe crab species, Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, were investigated in two feeding regimes (fed and starved) over a period of 7 weeks. No significant effects of species and time course, as well as their interaction, on absorption efficiency were observed in the fed treatments. For both species, RR and ER of the starved treatments significantly decreased, while their O:N ratio significantly increased during the experiment. However, such values for the fed treatments remained relatively stable over the study period. A rapid reduction in SfG was only apparent in the first week of the starved treatments for both species; thereafter, their SfG remained relatively constant. In the fed treatments, SfG of T. tridentatus was significantly lower than that of C. rotundicauda throughout the experiment. In general, C. rotundicauda showed a greater decrease in SfG under starvation than T. tridentatus, suggesting that they may have a more competitive life-history strategy for adjusting to poor nutritional conditions.     

Strain-related physiological and behavioral effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Skeletonema marinoi</Emphasis> on three common planktonic copepods

Three strains of the chain-forming diatom Skeletonema marinoi, differing in their production of polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUA) and nutritional food components, were used in experiments on feeding, egg production, hatching success, pellet production, and behavior of three common planktonic copepods: Acartia tonsa, Pseudocalanus elongatus, and Temora longicornis. The three different diatom strains (9B, 1G, and 7J) induced widely different effects on Acartia tonsa physiology, and the 9B strain induced different effects for the three copepods. In contrast, different strains induced no or small alterations in the distribution, swimming behavior, and turning frequency of the copepods. 22:6(n-3) fatty acid (DHA) and sterol content of the diet typically showed a positive effect on either egg production (A. tonsa) or hatching success (P. elongatus), while other measured compounds (PUA, other long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids) of the algae had no obvious effects. Our results demonstrate that differences between strains of a given diatom species can generate effects on copepod physiology, which are as large as those induced by different algae species or groups. This emphasizes the need to identify the specific characteristics of local diatoms together with the interacting effects of different mineral, biochemical, and toxic compounds and their potential implications on different copepod species.     

Physiological tolerance predicts species composition at different scales in a barnacle guild

This study examined how the species composition of an intertidal barnacle guild varied according to physical gradients in the environment at small scales governed by microclimates, medium scales of wave exposure and large scales of latitude. Barnacle distributions at small and medium scales were sampled in Ireland between 51°29′ and 52°44′N and 6°50′ and 10°08′W. Sampling on European shores spanned ~18° latitude from 37°05′ to 55°16′N. Barnacle surveys mainly took place in 2003–2004. An index of wave fetch was calculated along the wave exposure gradient using a digital coastline-based model that was supported by a biological exposure scale. A ‘dryness’ index was defined according to mean monthly wind speed, fetch along the average wind direction and mean monthly air or sea surface temperatures for 2 years (January 2001–December 2002) which is the period when the most recent adults in the barnacle community would have settled and grown to adulthood. The proportion of the dry-loving barnacle Chthamalus montagui Southward increased within the barnacle guild at all scales as the habitat became warmer and drier. Barnacle densities were high in all habitats, mean densities ranged from a minimum of 4.16 cm⁻² on moderately exposed shores to a maximum of 6.27 cm⁻² in sunlit or south-facing microclimates. Percentage cover of barnacles across the gradient of latitudes was usually >70%. The results suggest that the distribution and abundance of interacting barnacle species on European coasts is strongly controlled by abiotic factors, most likely temperature and desiccation.     

A comparative analysis of sperm storage and mating strategies in five species of brachyuran crabs

Variation in female sperm storage is explained, in part, by the amount of sperm transferred at mating. Laboratory mating experiments were conducted on Eurypanopeus depressus and Rhithropanopeus harrisii from the Chesapeake Bay and Pachygrapsus transversus from Florida, while mated pairs of Uca beebei and U. terpsichores were collected from mudflats in Panama. All experiments and collections were conducted during the summer of 2006 and 2007. More sperm was transferred to larger than smaller females, and by species with long copulation durations (R. harrisii and E. depressus). These two species live in cryptic habitats, have high sperm/egg ratios, and likely store sperm across multiple broods. In contrast, P. transversus and U. beebei mate conspicuously, have short copulations, transfer fewer sperm, and have low sperm/egg ratios. Comparisons of sperm transfer across different mating strategies and habitats provide a better understanding of female sperm storage in the Brachyura.     

Spatio-temporal variations in the diet and stable isotope composition of the Argentine hake <Emphasis Type="Italic">Merluccius hubbsi</Emphasis> Marini, 1933 of the continental shelf of southeastern Brazil

The feeding ecology of Merluccius hubbsi was investigated in 2 regions of SE Brazil. The major food sources for the hakes were fish, crustaceans, and squid. In the upwelling system of Cabo Frio, the diet was very similar in the summers of 2001/2002 and spring 2002; fish were the most important prey followed by crustaceans. In Ubatuba, euphausiids were an important prey during the winter 2001 (100 m), while in the summer 2002, fish and amphipods predominated in the diet in the shallower site (40 m) and squid in the deeper site (100 m). The hakes showed temporal differences in stable isotope signatures in both regions, while C:N ratios varied only in Cabo Frio. δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C (bulk and corrected for lipid content) increased with fish length, which seems to be related to the increasing importance of fish and decreasing importance of euphausiids and amphipods in the diet of larger hakes. The mean trophic level of 3.7 for M. hubbsi was estimated using δ¹⁵N of bivalves as baseline and the fractionation of 3.4‰ between trophic levels.     

Movements and wintering areas of breeding age Thick-billed Murre <Emphasis Type="Italic">Uria lomvia</Emphasis> from two colonies in Nunavut,Canada

The non-breeding movements of marine birds were poorly known until recently, but this information is essential to understanding the risk to different geographical populations from events on the wintering grounds. We tracked the migration routes and wintering areas of Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia from two breeding colonies in eastern Canada: Coats Island in northern Hudson Bay and The Minarets, Baffin Island, during the period August 2007–May 2008 using geolocation loggers. Birds from The Minarets moved south rapidly post-breeding and wintered principally off Newfoundland and southern Labrador, or between Newfoundland and southern Greenland, remaining south of 55°N until at least the spring equinox. Those from Coats Island remained in Hudson Bay until at least mid-November, after which they moved rapidly through Hudson Strait to winter in southern Davis Strait and the northern Labrador Sea, mostly north of 55°N. Many individuals stayed throughout the winter in areas of heavy ice cover. Adults from the two colonies appear to be completely segregated in winter and those from Coats Island probably did not enter the area of the winter hunt in Newfoundland. Unexpectedly, some birds from The Minarets wintered in waters beyond the continental slope and outside the distribution of pack ice, demonstrating that particular individuals can be wholly pelagic throughout the winter. Coats Island birds returned through Hudson Strait as soon as open water areas became available in spring. Their sojourn in Hudson Bay coincided very closely with the occurrence of areas with <90% ice cover. In spite of the relatively large error in positions obtained from geolocation loggers, our results demonstrated the value of these devices by uncovering a number of previously unknown aspects of Thick-billed Murre non-breeding ecology in the Northwest Atlantic. Comparison of the non-breeding ecology based on SST experienced in winter show that the winter niche is broader than hitherto assumed, demonstrating that separate populations may experience different selection in the face of climate change.     

Mutualist-induced morphological changes enhance growth and survival of corals

Species interactions can induce morphological changes in organisms that affect their subsequent growth and survival. In Moorea, French Polynesia, epibiotic gammaridean amphipods induce the formation of long, branch-like coral “fingers” on otherwise flat, encrusting, or plating Montipora coral colonies. The fingers form as corals encrust tubes built by the amphipods and lead to significant changes in colony morphology. This study examines the costs and benefits of this association to the amphipods and corals and demonstrates that the interaction is a mutualism. Amphipods gain protection from predators by living within corals, and corals benefit by enhanced growth and survival. Benefits to the coral arise through direct effects due to the amphipods’ presence as well as through benefits derived from the altered colony morphology. This study demonstrates that induced morphological plasticity can be a mechanism for facilitation, adding to our knowledge of the roles mutualism, and phenotypic plasticity play in ecology.     

The reproductive ecology of the invasive ascidian, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Styela clava,</Emphasis> in Auckland Harbour,New Zealand

The ascidian Styela clava, native to the north-west Pacific, is an invasive species affecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems, biodiversity and aquaculture operations. To provide detailed information on the reproductive biology of S. clava in New Zealand for post-border biosecurity management, long-term seasonal patterns of gametogenesis were determined from May 2006 to May 2008 in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour (36°49′20″S, 174°45′85″E). Of particular interest was whether the critical 15°C threshold spawning temperature for reproduction observed in the Northern Hemisphere applied here to the first Southern Hemisphere study. S. clava gametogenesis followed a regular seasonal cycle with ripe gametes appearing as early as September and persisting to June; this time frame corresponds to the period when sea surface temperatures in the region first reach 15°C and with spawning occurring mainly during late summer to early autumn. From photoperiod manipulation, it was determined that spawning occurred at approximately 18:20. The extended reproductive period and a short generation time in the Waitemata Harbour provides a lengthy opportunity for S. clava to spread. Findings are discussed in relation to S. clava’s post-border management.