• Energy Research
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Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (hereafter, omega-3), including eicosapentaenoic-acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic-acid (DHA), are essential nutritional compounds for humans, providing several benefits related to cardiovascular and neural health. Human intake of omega-3 occurs mostly via seafood, particularly fish. The primary source of omega-3 in aquatic systems is represented by primary producers, from which omega-3 are transferred throughout the food web. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for primary producers and can be supplied to surface waters as nitrate upwelled from below, or as ammonium and other regenerated nitrogen forms recycled in situ. Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems (EBUS) are the most productive marine systems on Earth, together covering only 2% of the ocean’s surface area but supporting 25% of the global fish catch, thereby providing food for humans. In EBUS, nitrate and other nutrients are advected to the surface to support the proliferation of a phytoplankton community dominated by known omega-3 producers (i.e., diatoms). Given current climate change-related projections of ocean warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and increased upwelling intensity, phytoplankton community composition in EBUS may change. Additionally, the global production of EPA + DHA is expected to decrease by up to 30%, rendering its supply for human consumption insufficient by 2050. Here we discuss the state of knowledge related to omega-3 transfer from phytoplankton to small pelagic fish in EBUS, including factors that can influence omega-3 production, links to nitrogen cycling, climate change implications for the omega-3 supply to humans, and suggestions for future research directions to improve our understanding of omega-3 in the ocean.

Significance As they grow, die, and sink into the ocean’s interior, oceanic phytoplankton drive the so-called biological carbon pump, one of the main biological processes regulating atmospheric carbon concentrations. The biological carbon pump is, therefore, key to climate regulation. Its efficiency is largely determined by the coupling of marine biology to ocean geochemistry through the C:N:P:Fe stoichiometry of phytoplankton biomass, yet what determines this stoichiometry remains poorly understood. Based on a model of plankton biology, we characterize control mechanisms of the C:N ratio of phytoplankton biomass in the North Atlantic, which explain extensive sets of apparently conflicting observations. These findings could improve the predictive ability of global ocean models regarding climate change and the role of marine biology in its mitigation/aggravation.

Biological invasions in wetlands by Water Primroses (Ludwigia grandiflora ssp. hexapetala and L. peploides ssp. montevidensis) are an increasing problem especially in wet meadows. The aim of this paper is to quantify differences between species and the adaptation of these amphibious plants in order to establish the consequences for site managers. The hypotheses were: (i) that these species differ in biomass and morphology, and (ii) that terrestrial habitats determine particular adaptations such as reduced biomass, more roots and a bushy form. Biomasses from five sites were collected, following seasonal changes and biological traits were measured on selected plants. Comparing species in aquatic habitats, L. peploides produced less biomass than L. grandiflora. Comparing habitats for L. grandiflora, the biomass in meadows was almost twice that in dykes, particularly due to old stems, the converse of the hypothesis. Terrestrial forms were characterized by a bushy morphology, with shorter internodes and stems, as well as more secondary ramifications, while in aquatic habitats the plant architecture was simpler. Models were built linking morphology to species, sites and water conditions. Adaptations to terrestrial habitats of a particularly resistant form with a significant potential biomass are practical constraints for farmers and managers.

Energy and environmental stability are positively correlated with species richness along broad-scale spatial gradients in terrestrial ecosystems, so their relative importance in generating and preserving diversity cannot be readily disentangled. This study seeks to exploit the negative correlation between energy and stability along the oceanic depth gradient to better understand their relative contribution in shaping broadscale biodiversity patterns. We develop a conceptual framework by simulating speciation and extinction along energy and stability gradients to generate expected patterns of biodiversity for a suite of complementary phylogenetic diversity metrics. Using a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny for New Zealand marine ray-finned fishes and a replicated community ecological sampling design, we then modelled these metrics along large-scale depth and latitude gradients. Our results indicate that energy-rich shallow waters may be an engine of diversity for percomorphs, but also suggest that recent speciation occurs in ancient fish lineages in the deep sea, hence questioning the role of energy as a key driver of speciation. Despite potentially facing high extinction early in their evolution, ancient phylogenetic lineages specialized for the deep-sea were likely preserved by environmental stability during the Cenozoic. Furthermore, intermediate depths might be a “museum” (or zone of overlap) for distinct lineages that occur predominantly in either shallow or deep-sea waters. These intermediate depths (500-900m) may form a “phylogenetic diversity bank”, perhaps providing a refuge during ancient (Mesozoic) extreme anoxic events affecting the deep sea and more recent (Pliocene-Pleistocene) climatic events occurring in shallow ecosystems. Finally, the phylogenetic structures observed in fish communities at intermediate depths suggest other processes might restrict the co-occurrence of closely related species. Overall, by combining a conceptual framework with models of empirical phylogenetic diversity patterns, our study paves the way for understanding the determinants of biodiversity across the largest habitat on earth.

Abstract Climate change exacerbates existing threats and risks and generates new ones in the lives of the Indigenous people of the Arctic regions. The ability to cope with climate variability and extreme events is largely dependent on territorial adaptive capacities and vulnerabilities in addition to the level of regional economic development. The purpose of this article is to understand if the people living in Tiksi and its hinterland are aware of the impacts of climate change and attribute importance to them, as well as to determine if they have adaptation actions and strategies have been put in place. The future of Tiksi's population is uncertain and is highly dependent on the federal government. Issues relating to climate change are not a high priority for the local populations. Although the population of the Bulunsky district has maintained some capacity for adaptation, both uncertainty about the future and their dependence on decisions made at a higher level are undermining their ability to plan for adaptation in the long term.

In Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems nutrient-rich waters are transported to the ocean surface, fuelling high photoautotrophic primary production. Subsequent heterotrophic decomposition of the produced biomass increases the oxygen-depletion at intermediate water depths, which can result in the formation of oxygen minimum zones (OMZ). OMZs can sporadically accumulate hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is toxic to most multicellular organisms and has been implicated in massive fish kills. During a cruise to the OMZ off Peru in January 2009 we found a sulfidic plume in continental shelf waters, covering an area >5500 km(2), which contained ∼2.2×10(4) tons of H2S. This was the first time that H2S was measured in the Peruvian OMZ and with ∼440 km(3) the largest plume ever reported for oceanic waters. We assessed the phylogenetic and functional diversity of the inhabiting microbial community by high-throughput sequencing of DNA and RNA, while its metabolic activity was determined with rate measurements of carbon fixation and nitrogen transformation processes. The waters were dominated by several distinct γ-, δ- and ε-proteobacterial taxa associated with either sulfur oxidation or sulfate reduction. Our results suggest that these chemolithoautotrophic bacteria utilized several oxidants (oxygen, nitrate, nitrite, nitric oxide and nitrous oxide) to detoxify the sulfidic waters well below the oxic surface. The chemolithoautotrophic activity at our sampling site led to high rates of dark carbon fixation. Assuming that these chemolithoautotrophic rates were maintained throughout the sulfidic waters, they could be representing as much as ∼30% of the photoautotrophic carbon fixation. Postulated changes such as eutrophication and global warming, which lead to an expansion and intensification of OMZs, might also increase the frequency of sulfidic waters. We suggest that the chemolithoautotrophically fixed carbon may be involved in a negative feedback loop that could fuel further sulfate reduction and potentially stabilize the sulfidic OMZ waters.

A detailed bathymetric survey of the Rhone deep-sea fan and its feeder canyon using Sea-Beam, reveals morphologic features such as very tight meanders of the canyon and channel courses, cutoff meanders, and downslope narrowing of the inner channel floor. Striking similarities exist between these deep-sea features and some continental landforms, especially in alluvial plain areas or desert environments. Sea-Beam also reveals evidence of huge slump scars affecting the slope and fan. The superficial structure of the Rhone Fan results from the stacking of numerous lenticular acoustic units displaying specific seismic characters in which we recognized channel and levee facies. Except in the upper fan area, these units have not been constant; they have generally migrated, owing to shifting of the channel throughout fan evolution. Construction of the fan probably began as early as the early Pliocene and continued to the close of the Wurmian (late Wisconsinian). In our opinion, the fan's growth pattern could be associated with climatic fluctuations. The principal sedimentary mechanism responsible for the growth of the fan appears to be turbidity currents, but mass gravity flows have also been an important factor in building the fan by occasionally blocking the main channel and forcing it to migrate.