Teaching

I lecture on different courses at DEEP including:

-Ecotoxicology

-Marine Biology

-Ecology I

BSc and MSc  projects

I am also interested in supervising BSc (kandidat) and MSc (master) projects in subjects relevant to my research interests. If you are looking for a project in marine ecology or ecotoxicology don't hesitate to contact me.

The overall focus of my research is to understand how ecosystems respond to anthropogenic and environmental disturbances both structurally and functionally. Specifically, my research activities have been guided by four main topics:  1-Responses of benthic communities to eutrophication; 2- Species interaction effects on benthic ecosystem processes; 3-  structuring factors of metazoan biodiversity in benthic habitats; 4- Toxicity of mixtures of contaminants on ecosystem function

Ongoing projects

2019-2023: NEMOte BARCODing: Advancing monitoring of Baltic benthic ecosystems. 

In this project  we aim to address employ state-of-the-art eDNA sequencing techniques and DNA metabarcoding to improve monitoring tools that assess benthic ecological status of the Baltic.

Read more

2023-2027: What are the environmental risks associated with seabed mining for rare earth elements in the Baltic Sea? Quantifying impacts on benthic biodiversity and ecosystem processes.

In this project we aim quantify the potential environmental impacts of SBM on
Baltic benthic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (Fig.1). We will address this by capitalizing on the recent developments in eRNA sequencing and state-of-the-art biogeochemical tools. The data generated here will be used to improve an environmental risk assessment (ERA) framework important for regulators to determine the causal relationships between SBM and associated changes in
marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

A selection from Stockholm University publication database

• Effects of bottom trawling on the benthic habitat, with special emphasis on bacteria, meio- and macrofaunal diversity and ecosystem functioning

  Sven Iburg (et al.).

  Commercial bottom trawling can have deleterious effects on benthic communities by causing physical disturbance to sediment structure. Although the impacts of bottom trawling on macrofauna are relatively well studied, less is known about the responses of meiofauna and bacterial communities to such disturbances. Additionally, there is a lack of information on how potential effects of trawling on benthic community structure translate into impacts on ecosystem functions. To address these questions, we conducted a field study in the Baltic Sea (Bornholm area) that sampled 6 sites exposed to different trawling intensities. At each site sediment microbial and meiofauna diversity and community structure was assessed with metabarcoding of the 16S and 18S marker gene, respectively. Macrofauna community structure together with community bioturbation potential and nutrient fluxes were measured to investigate differences in ecosystem functioning in sediments subjected to varying degrees of trawling intensity. While there was a significant effect of bottom trawling intensity on macrofauna community structure, the same was not seen for microbial or meiofauna diversity and community composition Instead, our data showed stronger correlations between microbial and meiofaunal community structure and abiotic factors, in particular sediment pigment content. Similarly, differences in community bioturbation potential and nutrient fluxes were not driven by trawling intensity but were instead linked the abundance of key bioturbators like Scololpos armiger and Limecola balthica at each site. Overall, with the exception of macrofauna community structure, our study did not find significant impacts of bottom trawling on benthic diversity, community composition or function in the commercially fished areas in the Bornholm Basin, Baltic Sea. Our response variables were instead mostly driven by spatial differences in sediment abiotic and biotic parameters between our sampled sites. However, closer examination of a geographically close pair of sites with different trawling intensities showed clear differences in community structure in all three faunal groups. Bottom trawling impacts may therefore be masked by strong spatial variation in abiotic factors, something that should be considered in future studies.

  Read more about Effects of bottom trawling on the benthic habitat, with special emphasis on bacteria, meio- and macrofaunal diversity and ecosystem functioning

• Phytoplankton settling quality has a subtle but significant effect on sediment microeukaryotic and bacterial communities

  Séréna Albert (et al.).

  Read more about Phytoplankton settling quality has a subtle but significant effect on sediment microeukaryotic and bacterial communities

• Seasonality and drivers of microeukaryotic and bacterial communities in Baltic Sea soft sediments

  Séréna Albert (et al.).

  Read more about Seasonality and drivers of microeukaryotic and bacterial communities in Baltic Sea soft sediments

• Long-Term Pollution Does Not Inhibit Denitrification and DNRA by Adapted Benthic Microbial Communities

  2023. Elias Broman (et al.). Microbial Ecology

  Article

  Denitrification in sediments is a key microbial process that removes excess fixed nitrogen, while dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) converts nitrate to ammonium. Although microorganisms are responsible for essential nitrogen (N) cycling, it is not yet fully understood how these microbially mediated processes respond to toxic hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) and metals. In this study, we sampled long-term polluted sediment from the outer harbor of Oskarshamn (Baltic Sea), measured denitrification and DNRA rates, and analyzed taxonomic structure and N-cycling genes of microbial communities using metagenomics. Results showed that denitrification and DNRA rates were within the range of a national reference site and other unpolluted sites in the Baltic Sea, indicating that long-term pollution did not significantly affect these processes. Furthermore, our results indicate an adaptation to metal pollution by the N-cycling microbial community. These findings suggest that denitrification and DNRA rates are affected more by eutrophication and organic enrichment than by historic pollution of metals and organic contaminants.

  Read more about Long-Term Pollution Does Not Inhibit Denitrification and DNRA by Adapted Benthic Microbial Communities

• Methane emissions offset atmospheric carbon dioxide uptake in coastal macroalgae, mixed vegetation and sediment ecosystems

  2023. Florian Roth (et al.). Nature Communications 14

  Article

  Coastal ecosystems can efficiently remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and are thus promoted for nature-based climate change mitigation. Natural methane (CH₄) emissions from these ecosystems may counterbalance atmospheric CO₂ uptake. Still, knowledge of mechanisms sustaining such CH₄ emissions and their contribution to net radiative forcing remains scarce for globally prevalent macroalgae, mixed vegetation, and surrounding depositional sediment habitats. Here we show that these habitats emit CH₄ in the range of 0.1 – 2.9 mg CH₄ m⁻² d⁻¹ to the atmosphere, revealing in situ CH₄ emissions from macroalgae that were sustained by divergent methanogenic archaea in anoxic microsites. Over an annual cycle, CO₂-equivalent CH₄ emissions offset 28 and 35% of the carbon sink capacity attributed to atmospheric CO₂ uptake in the macroalgae and mixed vegetation habitats, respectively, and augment net CO₂ release of unvegetated sediments by 57%. Accounting for CH₄ alongside CO₂ sea-air fluxes and identifying the mechanisms controlling these emissions is crucial to constrain the potential of coastal ecosystems as net atmospheric carbon sinks and develop informed climate mitigation strategies.

  Read more about Methane emissions offset atmospheric carbon dioxide uptake in coastal macroalgae, mixed vegetation and sediment ecosystems

• Amphipod Isotope Composition, Condition and Reproduction in Contrasting Sediments: A Reciprocal Transfer Experiment

  2022. Julie Garrison, Agnes M. L. Karlson, Francisco J. A. Nascimento. Frontiers in Marine Science 9

  Article

  Eutrophication is a process that results in excessive phytoplankton blooms, which sink to the sediment and enrich the organic matter (OM). This alters the available resources to benthic organisms and may have consequences for feeding ecology and reproduction strategies of marine populations. While effects of eutrophication on biodiversity are well documented, the more subtle effects of OM on population dynamics and diet plasticity are understudied. We performed a reciprocal transfer experiment with the benthic bioindicator amphipod Monoporeia affinis from two stations in the Baltic Sea with differing sediment OM (low and high) creating four treatments (low control, low transferred, high transferred, and high control). We investigated sediment OM effects on: i) the dietary niche and organism body condition of two different life stages of M. affinis utilizing bulk stable isotopes δ13C and δ15N, and C:N ratio; and ii) M. affinis fecundity and embryo viability. There was no initial significant differences between the females from different stations in terms of δ13C, δ15N, C:N, fecundity or viable embryos. However, we found that moving females from high OM to low OM (where the low OM sediment has higher δ15N and lower δ13C) significantly depleted their 13C values, while amphipods in low OM sediment had always significantly enriched 15N regardless of female origin indicating feeding on the new sediment. Although end-of-experiment females had lower C:N than initial females, individuals in low OM sediment presented significantly higher C:N (indicating higher body condition) than those in high OM sediment. Conversely to adult amphipods, no effects of OM were seen for juveniles δ13C or δ15N, but their individual biomass was larger in high OM sediment treatments and high OM transferred to low OM sediment. Our results indicate that the low range of sediment OM tested here altered female amphipod δ13C, δ15N and C:N ratios, with those in low OM treatments having a better body condition, but those in high OM treatments had a greater reproductive success in terms of offspring biomass. Our findings suggest a tradeoff between female condition and reproduction and indicates that even relatively small levels of sediment organic enrichment will impact female condition. Our study provides valuable information useful to interpret the effects of OM on amphipod populations used as bioindicators for anthropogenic impacts.

  Read more about Amphipod Isotope Composition, Condition and Reproduction in Contrasting Sediments

• Benthic food web structures as an explanation for prolonged ecological half-life of Cs-137 in flatfish species in the Fukushima coastal area

  2022. Isak Holmerin (et al.). Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 246

  Article

  After the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), Japan, in March 2011, Cs-137 in demersal fish had, between 2011 and 2015, a prolonged ecological half-life when compared to pelagic fish. Using stable isotope mixing models combined with gut content analysis and Cs-137 activity concentrations, this study investigated the hypothesis that an unexplored food web structure could be a contributing factor explaining the ecological half-life of Cs-137 in benthic flatfish. Benthic invertebrates and demersal fish species sampled in 2015 still showed Cs-137 activity concentrations higher than pre-accident. The mixing models of stable N and C isotopes and gut content analysis identified deposit, suspension and filter feeders to be the main flatfish food items in the benthos. There was a significant correlation between Cs-137 activity concentrations in specific flatfish species and benthos, and between Cs-137 activity concentrations in benthos and surface sediment. The results of this study partially explained the Cs-137 activity concentrations found in the analysed demersal fish, suggesting that the benthos can be a continuous source of Cs-137 for the demersal fish during this period of time. Extending monitoring programmes to include invertebrates that are not food species for humans would greatly improve our ability to understand the role of trophic transfer pathways and take appropriate management actions.

  Read more about Benthic food web structures as an explanation for prolonged ecological half-life of Cs-137 in flatfish species in the Fukushima coastal area

• Microbial functional genes are driven by gradients in sediment stoichiometry, oxygen, and salinity across the Baltic benthic ecosystem

  2022. Elias Broman (et al.). Microbiome 10 (126), 1-17

  Article

  Background: Microorganisms in the seafoor use a wide range of metabolic processes, which are coupled to thepresence of functional genes within their genomes. Aquatic environments are heterogenous and often characterizedby natural physiochemical gradients that structure these microbial communities potentially changing the diversityof functional genes and its associated metabolic processes. In this study, we investigated spatial variability and howenvironmental variables structure the diversity and composition of benthic functional genes and metabolic pathwaysacross various fundamental environmental gradients. We analyzed metagenomic data from sediment samples, meas‑ured related abiotic data (e.g., salinity, oxygen and carbon content), covering 59 stations spanning 1,145 km across theBaltic Sea.

  Results: The composition of genes and microbial communities were mainly structured by salinity plus oxygen, andthe carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio for specifc metabolic pathways related to nutrient transport and carbon metabo‑lism. Multivariate analyses indicated that the compositional change in functional genes was more prominent acrossenvironmental gradients compared to changes in microbial taxonomy even at genus level, and indicate functionaldiversity adaptation to local environments. Oxygen defcient areas (i.e., dead zones) were more diferent in gene com‑position when compared to oxic sediments.

  Conclusions: This study highlights how benthic functional genes are structured over spatial distances and by envi‑ronmental gradients and resource availability, and suggests that changes in, e.g., oxygenation, salinity, and carbonplus nitrogen content will infuence functional metabolic pathways in benthic habitats

  Read more about Microbial functional genes are driven by gradients in sediment stoichiometry, oxygen, and salinity across the Baltic benthic ecosystem

• Molecular diet analysis enables detection of diatom and cyanobacteria DNA in the gut of Macoma balthica

  2022. Julie Garrison (et al.). PLOS ONE 17 (11)

  Article

  Detritivores are essential to nutrient cycling, but are often neglected in trophic networks, due to difficulties with determining their diet. DNA analysis of gut contents shows promise of trophic link discrimination, but many unknown factors limit its usefulness. For example, DNA can be rapidly broken down, especially by digestion processes, and DNA provides only a snapshot of the gut contents at a specific time. Few studies have been performed on the length of time that prey DNA can be detected in consumer guts, and none so far using benthic detritivores. Eutrophication, along with climate change, is altering the phytoplankton communities in aquatic ecosystems, on which benthic detritivores in aphotic soft sediments depend. Nutrient-poor cyanobacteria blooms are increasing in frequency, duration, and magnitude in many water bodies, while nutrient-rich diatom spring blooms are shrinking in duration and magnitude, creating potential changes in diet of benthic detritivores. We performed an experiment to identify the taxonomy and quantify the abundance of phytoplankton DNA fragments on bivalve gut contents, and how long these fragments can be detected after consumption in the Baltic Sea clam Macoma balthica. Two common species of phytoplankton (the cyanobacteria Nodularia spumigena or the diatom Skeletonema marinoi) were fed to M. balthica from two regions (from the northern and southern Stockholm archipelago). After removing the food source, M. balthica gut contents were sampled every 24 hours for seven days to determine the number of 23S rRNA phytoplankton DNA copies and when the phytoplankton DNA could no longer be detected by quantitative PCR. We found no differences in diatom 18S rRNA gene fragments of the clams by region, but the southern clams showed significantly more cyanobacteria 16S rRNA gene fragments in their guts than the northern clams. Interestingly, the cyanobacteria and diatom DNA fragments were still detectable by qPCR in the guts of M. balthica one week after removal from its food source. However, DNA metabarcoding of the 23S rRNA phytoplankton gene found in the clam guts showed that added food (i.e. N. spumigena and S. marinoi) did not make up a majority of the detected diet. Our results suggest that these detritivorous clams therefore do not react as quickly as previously thought to fresh organic matter inputs, with other phytoplankton than large diatoms and cyanobacteria constituting the majority of their diet. This experiment demonstrates the viability of using molecular methods to determine feeding of detritivores, but further studies investigating how prey DNA signals can change over time in benthic detritivores will be needed before this method can be widely applicable to both models of ecological functions and conservation policy.

  Read more about Molecular diet analysis enables detection of diatom and cyanobacteria DNA in the gut of Macoma balthica

• Oxygen‐deficient water zones in the Baltic Sea promote uncharacterized Hg methylating microorganisms in underlying sediments

  2022. Eric Capo (et al.). Limnology and Oceanography 67 (1), 135-146

  Article

  Human-induced expansion of oxygen-deficient zones can have dramatic impacts on marine systems and its resident biota. One example is the formation of the potent neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) that is mediated by microbial methylation of inorganic divalent Hg (Hg^II) under oxygen-deficient conditions. A negative consequence of the expansion of oxygen-deficient zones could be an increase in MeHg production due to shifts in microbial communities in favor of microorganisms methylating Hg. There is, however, limited knowledge about Hg-methylating microbes, i.e., those carrying hgc genes critical for mediating the process, from marine sediments. Here, we aim to study the presence of hgc genes and transcripts in metagenomes and metatranscriptomes from four surface sediments with contrasting concentrations of oxygen and sulfide in the Baltic Sea. We show that potential Hg methylators differed among sediments depending on redox conditions. Sediments with an oxygenated surface featured hgc-like genes and transcripts predominantly associated with uncultured Desulfobacterota (OalgD group) and Desulfobacterales (including Desulfobacula sp.) while sediments with a hypoxic-anoxic surface included hgc-carrying Verrucomicrobia, unclassified Desulfobacterales, Desulfatiglandales, and uncharacterized microbes. Our data suggest that the expansion of oxygen-deficient zones in marine systems may lead to a compositional change of Hg-methylating microbial groups in the sediments, where Hg methylators whose metabolism and biology have not yet been characterized will be promoted and expand. 

  Read more about Oxygen‐deficient water zones in the Baltic Sea promote uncharacterized Hg methylating microorganisms in underlying sediments

• Temporal and spatial changes in benthic invertebrate trophic networks along a taxonomic richness gradient

  2022. Julie A. Garrison (et al.). Ecology and Evolution 12 (6)

  Article

  Species interactions underlie most ecosystem functions and are important for understanding ecosystem changes. Representing one type of species interaction, trophic networks were constructed from biodiversity monitoring data and known trophic links to assess how ecosystems have changed over time. The Baltic Sea is subject to many anthropogenic pressures, and low species diversity makes it an ideal candidate for determining how pressures change food webs. In this study, we used benthic monitoring data for 20 years (1980–1989 and 2010–2019) from the Swedish coast of the Baltic Sea and Skagerrak to investigate changes in benthic invertebrate trophic interactions. We constructed food webs and calculated fundamental food web metrics evaluating network horizontal and vertical diversity, as well as stability that were compared over space and time. Our results show that the west coast of Sweden (Skagerrak) suffered a reduction in benthic invertebrate biodiversity by 32% between the 1980s and 2010s, and that the number of links, generality of predators, and vulnerability of prey have been significantly reduced. The other basins (Bothnian Sea, Baltic Proper, and Bornholm Basin) do not show any significant changes in species richness or consistent significant trends in any food web metrics investigated, demonstrating resilience at a lower species diversity. The decreased complexity of the Skagerrak food webs indicates vulnerability to further perturbations and pressures should be limited as much as possible to ensure continued ecosystem functions. 

  Read more about Temporal and spatial changes in benthic invertebrate trophic networks along a taxonomic richness gradient

• A microsensor‐based method for measuring respiration of individual nematodes

  2021. Adele Maciute (et al.). Methods in Ecology and Evolution 12 (10), 1841-1847

  Article

  1. Meiofauna (invertebrates that pass through a 1-mm mesh sieve, but are retained on a 40-µm mesh) represent the most abundant and diverse animal group on Earth, but empirical evidence of their role in benthic respiration, production and carbon cycling across ecosystems is not well documented. Moreover, how meiofauna respond to changing oxygen conditions is poorly understood.

  2. We further developed an incubation system, in which oxygen and temperature conditions are easily controlled and single meiofaunal nematode respiration is resolved in glass capillary tubes, using Clark-type oxygen microsensor. We performed the respiration measurements after exposing nematodes to different ambient oxygen concentrations, which resulted in 3–60 µM O2 during hypoxic and 80–210 µM O2 during oxic incubations in close proximity to the respective nematodes.

  3. Individual nematode respiration rates ranged from 0.02 to 1.30 nmol O2 ind.−1 day−1 and were 27% lower during hypoxic than oxic incubations. Rates derived from established allometric relations were on average fourfold higher than our direct measurements.

  4. The presented method is suitable for single nematode respiration measurements and can be adapted to a wide range of experimental conditions. Therefore, it can be used to assess meiofauna contribution to ecosystem processes and investigate species-specific responses to changing environmental conditions, for example, oxygen stress, increasing water temperature.

  Read more about A microsensor‐based method for measuring respiration of individual nematodes

• Active DNRA and denitrification in oxic hypereutrophic waters

  2021. Elias Broman (et al.). Water Research 194

  Article

  Since the start of synthetic fertilizer production more than a hundred years ago, the coastal ocean has been exposed to increasing nutrient loading, which has led to eutrophication and extensive algal blooms. Such hypereutrophic waters might harbor anaerobic nitrogen (N) cycling processes due to low-oxygen mi- croniches associated with abundant organic particles, but studies on nitrate reduction in coastal pelagic environments are scarce. Here, we report on 15 N isotope-labeling experiments, metagenome, and RT-qPCR data from a large hypereutrophic lagoon indicating that dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) and denitrification were active processes, even though the bulk water was fully oxygenated ( > 224 μM O 2 ). DNRA in the bottom water corresponded to 83% of whole-ecosystem DNRA (water + sedi- ment), while denitrification was predominant in the sediment. Microbial taxa important for DNRA accord- ing to the metagenomic data were dominated by Bacteroidetes (genus Parabacteroides ) and Proteobac- teria (genus Wolinella ), while denitrification was mainly associated with proteobacterial genera Pseu- domonas, Achromobacter , and Brucella . The metagenomic and microscopy data suggest that these anaero- bic processes were likely occurring in low-oxygen microniches related to extensive growth of filamentous cyanobacteria, including diazotrophic Dolichospermum and non-diazotrophic Planktothrix . By summing the total nitrate fluxes through DNRA and denitrification, it results that DNRA retains approximately one fifth (19%) of the fixed N that goes through the nitrate pool. This is noteworthy as DNRA represents thus a very important recycling mechanism for fixed N, which sustains algal proliferation and leads to further enhancement of eutrophication in these endangered ecosystems.

  Read more about Active DNRA and denitrification in oxic hypereutrophic waters

• Cyanophage Diversity and Community Structure in Dead Zone Sediments

  2021. Elias Broman (et al.). mSphere 6 (2)

  Article

  Up to 20% of prokaryotic organisms in the oceans are estimated to die every day due to viral infection and lysis. Viruses can therefore alter microbial diversity, community structure, and biogeochemical processes driven by these organisms. Cyanophages are viruses that infect and lyse cyanobacterial cells, adding bioavailable carbon and nutrients into the environment. Cyanobacteria are photosynthesizing bacteria, with some species capable of N₂ fixation, which are known to form large blooms as well as resistant resting cells known as akinetes. Here, we investigated cyanophage diversity and community structure plus cyanobacteria in dead zone sediments. We sampled surface sediments and sequenced DNA and RNA, along an oxygen gradient—representing oxic, hypoxic, and anoxic conditions—in one of the world’s largest dead zones located in the Baltic Sea. Cyanophages were detected at all stations and, based on partial genome contigs, had a higher alpha diversity and different beta diversity in the hypoxic-anoxic sediments, suggesting that cyanobacteria in dead zone sediments and/or environmental conditions select for specific cyanophages. Some of these cyanophages can infect cyanobacteria with potential consequences for gene expression related to their photosystem and phosphate regulation. Top cyanobacterial genera detected in the anoxic sediment included Dolichospermum/Anabaena, Synechococcus, and Cyanobium. RNA transcripts classified to cyanobacteria were associated with numerous pathways, including anaerobic carbon metabolism and N₂ fixation. Cyanobacterial blooms are known to fuel oxygen-depleted ecosystems with phosphorus (so-called internal loading), and our cyanophage data indicate the potential for viral lysis of cyanobacteria which might explain the high nutrient turnover in these environments.

  Read more about Cyanophage Diversity and Community Structure in Dead Zone Sediments

• Effects of Recreational Boating on Microbial and Meiofauna Diversity in Coastal Shallow Ecosystems of the Baltic Sea

  2021. Sven Iburg (et al.). mSphere 6 (5)

  Article

  Recreational boating can impact benthic ecosystems in coastal waters. Reduced height and cover of aquatic vegetation in shallow Baltic Sea inlets with high boat traffic have raised concerns about cascading effects on benthic communities in these ecosystems. Here, we characterized the diversity and composition of sediment-associated microbial and meiofaunal communities across five bays subjected to low and high degrees of boating activity and examined the community-environment relationships and association with bay morphometry. We found that recreational boating activity altered meiofauna alpha diversity and the composition of both micro- and meiobenthic communities, and there were strong correlations between community structure and morphometric variables like topographic openness, wave exposure, water surface area, and total phosphorous concentrations. Inlets with high boat traffic showed an increase of bacterial taxa like Hydrogenophilaceae and Burkholderiaceae. Several meiofauna taxa previously reported to respond positively to high levels of suspended organic matter were found in higher relative abundances in the bays with high boat traffic. Overall, our results show that morphometric characteristics of inlets are the strongest drivers of benthic diversity in shallow coastal environments. However, while the effects were small, we found significant effects of recreational boating on benthic community structure that should be considered when evaluating the new mooring projects.

  IMPORTANCE With the increase of recreational boating activity and development of boating infrastructure in shallow, wave-protected areas, there is growing concern for their impact on coastal ecosystems. In order to properly assess the effects and consider the potential for recovery, it is important to investigate microbial and meiofaunal communities that underpin the functioning of these ecosystems. Here, we present the first study that uses DNA metabarcoding to assess how benthic biodiversity in shallow coastal areas is impacted by recreational boating. Our study shows a relatively small, but significant, effect of recreational boating both on meiofauna alpha diversity and meiofauna and bacterial community composition. However, both meiofauna and bacterial community composition in shallow benthic habitats is mediated to a higher degree by abiotic variables, such as topographic openness, area or size of the inlets, and wave exposure. Despite the fact that the effects were small, such impacts on benthic biodiversity should be considered in the management of coastal shallow habitats.

  Read more about Effects of Recreational Boating on Microbial and Meiofauna Diversity in Coastal Shallow Ecosystems of the Baltic Sea

• Effects of changing phytoplankton species composition on carbon and nitrogen uptake in benthic invertebrates

  2021. Per Hedberg (et al.). Limnology and Oceanography 66 (2), 469-480

  Article

  Pelagic primary production is the main input of organic energy for benthic production below the photic zone. In the Baltic Sea, spring phytoplankton blooms are dominated by diatoms that sink out rapidly and export nutritionally favorable matter to benthic secondary production, while the summer blooms have more variable sedimentation rates and nutritional profile. Changes in phytoplankton species composition and bloom dynamics, as a consequence of climate change and eutrophication are reducing high quality diatoms reaching the benthic fauna, while promoting cyanobacteria. Here, we test uptake and assimilation of changing phyto- plankton composition for three common benthic invertebrates, a clam, an amphipod and a polychaete under varying degrees of spring-bloom associated diatoms (Skeletonema costatum) and summer-bloom associated cyano- bacteria (Nodularia spumigena). The phytoplankton were labeled with stable isotopes (15N and 13C, respectively) in order to trace assimilation in consumers’ tissues. We found that all three macrofauna species fed on both dia- toms and cyanobacteria. A linear pattern was found for all three species in assimilation of carbon and nitrogen from diatoms, with increasing assimilation associated with higher proportion of diatoms. There was no clear pattern found between proportion of cyanobacteria and assimilation of carbon and nitrogen for any of the spe- cies. This study shows that the investigated macrofaunal species display a selective feeding behavior with prefer- ence for spring-bloom associated diatoms. Thus, changes in phytoplankton bloom composition are likely affecting benthic species composition and production. 

  Read more about Effects of changing phytoplankton species composition on carbon and nitrogen uptake in benthic invertebrates

• Effects of mixed diets on the reproductive success and population growth of cultured Acartia grani (Calanoida)

  2021. Natacha Nogueira (et al.). Journal of Applied Aquaculture 33 (1), 1-14

  Article

  Copepods are alternative candidates to traditional live feeds used in marine hatcheries and food quality and type are recognized factors that influence copepods culture success. In this study, we evaluated the effects of feeding the calanoid Acartia grani with two microalgae - Rhodomonas marina and T-Isochrysis sp. - and one dinoflagellate (Oxyrrhis marina). Results showed that reproductive parameters were improved when R. marina was included in the diets, but the higher number of adults was found when O. marina was combined with R. marina. According to the life stage of the copepod different combinations of diets would be recommended.

  Read more about Effects of mixed diets on the reproductive success and population growth of cultured Acartia grani (Calanoida)

• High throughput shotgun sequencing of eRNA reveals taxonomic and derived functional shifts across a benthic productivity gradient

  2021. Elias Broman (et al.). Molecular Ecology 30 (13), 3023-3039

  Article

  Benthic macrofauna is regularly used in monitoring programmes, however the vast majority of benthic eukaryotic biodiversity lies mostly in microscopic organisms, such as meiofauna (invertebrates < 1 mm) and protists, that rapidly responds to environmental change. These communities have traditionally been hard to sample and handle in the laboratory, but DNA sequencing has made such work less time consuming. While DNA sequencing captures both alive and dead organisms, environmental RNA (eRNA) better targets living organisms or organisms of recent origin in the environment. Here, we assessed the biodiversity of three known bioindicator microeukaryote groups (nematodes, foraminifera, and ciliates) in sediment samples collected at seven coastal sites along an organic carbon (OC) gradient. We aimed to investigate if eRNA shotgun sequencing can be used to simultaneously detect differences in (i) biodiversity of multiple microeukaryotic communities; and (ii) functional feeding traits of nematodes. Results showed that biodiversity was lower for nematodes and foraminifera in high OC (6.2%–6.9%), when compared to low OC sediments (1.2%–2.8%). Dissimilarity in community composition increased for all three groups between Low OC and High OC, as well as the classified feeding type of nematode genera (with more nonselective deposit feeders in high OC sediment). High relative abundant genera included nematode Sabatieria and foraminifera Elphidium in high OC, and Cryptocaryon‐like ciliates in low OC sediments. Considering that future sequencing technologies are likely to decrease in cost, the use of eRNA shotgun sequencing to assess biodiversity of benthic microeukaryotes could be a powerful tool in recurring monitoring programmes.

  Read more about High throughput shotgun sequencing of eRNA reveals taxonomic and derived functional shifts across a benthic productivity gradient

• Influence of settling organic matter quantity and quality on benthic nitrogen cycling

  2021. Séréna Albert (et al.). Limnology and Oceanography 66 (5), 1882-1895

  Article

  Coastal sediments are major contributors to global carbon (C) mineralization and nutrient cycling and are tightly linked to processes in the pelagic environment. In this study, we aimed to investigate the regulating potential of quantity and quality of planktonic organic matter (OM) deposition on benthic metabolism, with a particular focus on nitrogen (N) cycling processes. We simulated inputs of spring (C : N 10.9) and summer (C : N 5.6) plankton communities in high and low quantities to sediment cores, and followed oxygen consumption, nutrient fluxes as well as nitrate reduction rates, that is, denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium for 10 d. Our results demonstrate the primary importance of OM quality in determining the fate of organic N once it settles to the sediment surface. Settling of N-rich summer plankton material resulted in a similar to twofold lower denitrification efficiency (40-56%) compared to N-poor spring plankton (88-115%). This indicates that N-rich plankton deposition favors recycling of inorganic nutrients to the water column over N-loss via denitrification. OM quantity was positively related to mineralization activity, but this neither directly affected N fluxes nor denitrification activity, highlighting the complex interplay between the OM quantity and quality in regulating N cycling. In light of these new findings, we support the use of simple qualitative indicators such as C : N ratio of OM to investigate how future changes in benthic-pelagic coupling might influence N budgets at the sediment-water interface.

  Read more about Influence of settling organic matter quantity and quality on benthic nitrogen cycling

• Phytoplankton settling quality has a subtle but significant effect on sediment microeukaryotic and bacterial communities

  2021. Séréna Albert (et al.). Scientific Reports 11 (1)

  Article

  In coastal aphotic sediments, organic matter (OM) input from phytoplankton is the primary food resource for benthic organisms. Current observations from temperate ecosystems like the Baltic Sea report a decline in spring bloom diatoms, while summer cyanobacteria blooms are becoming more frequent and intense. These climate-driven changes in phytoplankton communities may in turn have important consequences for benthic biodiversity and ecosystem functions, but such questions are not yet sufficiently explored experimentally. Here, in a 4-week experiment, we investigated the response of microeukaryotic and bacterial communities to different types of OM inputs comprising five ratios of two common phytoplankton species in the Baltic Sea, the diatom Skeletonema marinoi and filamentous cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena. Metabarcoding analyses on 16S and 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) at the experiment termination revealed subtle but significant changes in diversity and community composition of microeukaryotes in response to settling OM quality. Sediment bacteria were less affected, although we observed a clear effect on denitrification gene expression (nirS and nosZ), which was positively correlated with increasing proportions of cyanobacteria. Altogether, these results suggest that future changes in OM input to the seafloor may have important effects on both the composition and function of microbenthic communities.

  Read more about Phytoplankton settling quality has a subtle but significant effect on sediment microeukaryotic and bacterial communities

• Quality of phytoplankton deposition structures bacterial communities at the water-sediment interface

  2021. Dandan Izabel-Shen (et al.). Molecular Ecology 30 (14), 3515-3529

  Article

  Phytoplankton comprises a large fraction of the vertical carbon flux to deep water via the sinking of particulate organic matter (POM). However, despite the importance of phytoplankton in the coupling of benthic-pelagic productivity, the extent to which its deposition in the sediment affects bacterial dynamics at the water-sediment interface is poorly understood. Here, we conducted a microcosm experiment in which varying mixtures of diatom and cyanobacteria, representing phytoplankton-derived POM of differing quality, served as inputs to sediment cores. Characterization of 16S rRNA gene of the bacterial communities at the water-sediment interface showed that bacterial α-diversity was not affected by POM addition, while bacterial β-diversity changed significantly along the POM quality gradient, with the variation driven by changes in relative abundance rather than in taxon replacement. Analysing individual taxa abundances across the POM gradient revealed two distinct bacterial responses, in which taxa within either diatom- or cyanobacteria-favoured groups were more phylogenetically closely related to one another than other taxa found in the water. Moreover, there was little overlap in taxon identity between sediment and water communities, suggesting the minor role played by sediment bacteria in influencing the observed changes in bacterial communities in the overlying water. Together, these results showed that variability in phytoplankton-originated POM can impact bacterial dynamics at the water-sediment interface. Our findings highlight the importance of considering the potential interactions between phytoplankton and bacteria in benthic-pelagic coupling in efforts to understand the structure and function of bacterial communities under a changing climate.

  Read more about Quality of phytoplankton deposition structures bacterial communities at the water-sediment interface

• Activated carbon stimulates microbial diversity and PAH biodegradation under anaerobic conditions in oil-polluted sediments

  2020. Stefano Bonaglia (et al.). Chemosphere 248

  Article

  Biodegradation by microorganisms is a useful tool that helps alleviating hydrocarbon pollution in nature. Microbes are more efficient in degradation under aerobic than anaerobic conditions, but the majority of sediment by volume is generally anoxic. Incubation experiments were conducted to study the biodegradation potential of naphthalene-a common polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-and the diversity of microbial communities in presence/absence of activated carbon (AC) under aerobic/anaerobic conditions. Radio-respirometry experiments with endogenous microorganisms indicated that degradation of naphthalene was strongly stimulated (96%) by the AC addition under anaerobic conditions. In aerobic conditions, however, AC had no effects on naphthalene biodegradation. Bioaugmentation tests with cultured microbial populations grown on naphthalene showed that AC further stimulated (92%) naphthalene degradation in anoxia. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences implied that sediment amendment with AC increased microbial community diversity and changed community structure. Moreover, the relative abundance of Geobacter, Thiobacillus, Sulfuricurvum, and methanogenic archaea increased sharply after amendment with AC under anaerobic conditions. These results may be explained by the fact that AC particles promoted direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) between microorganisms involved in PAH degradation pathways. We suggest that important ecosystem functions mediated by microbes-such as hydrocarbon degradation-can be induced and that AC enrichment strategies can be exploited for facilitating bioremediation of anoxic oil-contaminated sediments and soils.

  Read more about Activated carbon stimulates microbial diversity and PAH biodegradation under anaerobic conditions in oil-polluted sediments

• Low Abundance of Methanotrophs in Sediments of Shallow Boreal Coastal Zones With High Water Methane Concentrations

  2020. Elias Broman (et al.). Frontiers in Microbiology 11

  Article

  Coastal zones are transitional areas between land and sea where large amounts of organic and inorganic carbon compounds are recycled by microbes. Especially shallow zones near land have been shown to be the main source for oceanic methane (CH4) emissions. Water depth has been predicted as the best explanatory variable, which is related to CH4 ebullition, but exactly how sediment methanotrophs mediates these emissions along water depth is unknown. Here, we investigated the relative abundance and RNA transcripts attributed to methane oxidation proteins of aerobic methanotrophs in the sediment of shallow coastal zones with high CH4 concentrations within a depth gradient from 10–45 m. Field sampling consisted of collecting sediment (top 0–2 cm layer) from eight stations along this depth gradient in the coastal Baltic Sea. The relative abundance and RNA transcripts attributed to the CH4 oxidizing protein (pMMO; particulate methane monooxygenase) of the dominant methanotroph Methylococcales was significantly higher in deeper costal offshore areas (36–45 m water depth) compared to adjacent shallow zones (10–28 m). This was in accordance with the shallow zones having higher CH4 concentrations in the surface water, as well as more CH4 seeps from the sediment. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the low prevalence of Methylococcales and RNA transcripts attributed to pMMO was restrained to the euphotic zone (indicated by Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) data, photosynthesis proteins, and 18S rRNA data of benthic diatoms). This was also indicated by a positive relationship between water depth and the relative abundance of Methylococcales and pMMO. How these processes are affected by light availability requires further studies. CH4 ebullition potentially bypasses aerobic methanotrophs in shallow coastal areas, reducing CH4 availability and limiting their growth. Such mechanism could help explain their reduced relative abundance and related RNA transcripts for pMMO. These findings can partly explain the difference in CH4 concentrations between shallow and deep coastal areas, and the relationship between CH4 concentrations and water depth.

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• Meiofauna improve oxygenation and accelerate sulfide removal in the seasonally hypoxic seabed

  2020. Stefano Bonaglia (et al.). Marine Environmental Research 159

  Article

  Oxygen depleted areas are widespread in the marine realm. Unlike macrofauna, meiofauna are abundant in hypoxic sediments. We studied to what extent meiofauna affect oxygen availability, sulfide removal and microbial communities. Meiofauna were extracted alive and added to intact sediments simulating abundance gradients previously reported in the area. A total of 324 porewater microprofiles were recorded over a 3-week incubation period and microbial community structure and cable bacteria densities were determined at the end of the experiment. At high abundances meiofauna activity deepened oxygen penetration by 85%, 59%, and 62% after 5, 14, and 22 days, respectively, compared to control sediment with scarce meiofauna. After 6 days, meiofauna increased the volume of oxidized, sulfide-free sediment by 68% and reduced sulfide fluxes from 8.8 to 0.4 mmol m(-2) d(-1). After 15 days, the difference with the control attenuated due to the presence of a cable bacteria population, which facilitated sulfides oxidation in all treatments. 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed that meiofauna affected microbial community structure (beta diversity). Thus, meiofauna bioturbation plays an important role in deepening oxygen penetration, counteracting euxinia and in structuring microbial diversity of hypoxic sediments. Co-existence with cable bacteria demonstrates neutralism interaction between these two ecosystem engineers.

  Read more about Meiofauna improve oxygenation and accelerate sulfide removal in the seasonally hypoxic seabed

• N₂ fixation dominates nitrogen cycling in a mangrove fiddler crab holobiont

  2020. Mindaugas Zilius, (et al.). Scientific Reports 10 (1)

  Article

  Mangrove forests are among the most productive and diverse ecosystems on the planet, despite limited nitrogen (N) availability. Under such conditions, animal-microbe associations (holobionts) are often key to ecosystem functioning. Here, we investigated the role of fiddler crabs and their carapace-associated microbial biofilm as hotspots of microbial N transformations and sources of N within the mangrove ecosystem. 16S rRNA gene and metagenomic sequencing provided evidence of a microbial biofilm dominated by Cyanobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidota with a community encoding both aerobic and anaerobic pathways of the N cycle. Dinitrogen (N2) fixation was among the most commonly predicted process. Net N fluxes between the biofilm-covered crabs and the water and microbial N transformation rates in suspended biofilm slurries portray these holobionts as a net N2 sink, with N2 fixation exceeding N losses, and as a significant source of ammonium and dissolved organic N to the surrounding environment. N stable isotope natural abundances of fiddler crab carapace-associated biofilms were within the range expected for fixed N, further suggesting active microbial N2 fixation. These results extend our knowledge on the diversity of invertebrate-microbe associations, and provide a clear example of how animal microbiota can mediate a plethora of essential biogeochemical processes in mangrove ecosystems.

  Read more about N₂ fixation dominates nitrogen cycling in a mangrove fiddler crab holobiont

• Nannochloropsis gaditana grown outdoors in annular photobioreactors: Operation strategies

  2020. Natacha Nogueira (et al.). Algal Research 48

  Article

  Microalgae are a topic of intense research due to their potential applications in bio-based economy. However, sustainable commercial production is still overpriced due to high cultivation costs, harvesting and dewatering processes. In the present study, trials were conducted with the aim to improve daily operation strategies related to microalgae harvesting processes that did not compromise biomass productivity or the biochemical composition of the cultivated microalgae. Two experimental trials were performed in outdoor tubular annular photobioreactors to evaluate the effects of harvesting and medium dilution time (sunrise vs sunset) on Nannochloropsis gaditana biomass productivity, lipid and fatty acid content. Results showed that harvesting time had no significant effect on cell concentration and biomass productivity. Harvesting and medium dilution time did not affect lipid content. However, lipid content in samples collected at sunset was significantly higher than in samples collected at sunrise for both experimental treatments. The fatty acids profiles were mainly composed by polyunsaturated fatty acids, followed by mono-unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids. Regardless of medium dilution time, harvesting at sunset indicated that lipidic production (higher polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower saturated fatty acids) was favored without affecting the biomass productivity. The current study showed harvesting in the afternoon is a viable option for large production units that use semi-continuous strategy, without compromising biomass cell and lipid productivity.

  Read more about Nannochloropsis gaditana grown outdoors in annular photobioreactors

• Organic Contaminant Mixture Significantly Changes Microbenthic Community Structure and Increases the Expression of PAH Degradation Genes

  2020. Sven Iburg (et al.). Frontiers in Environmental Science 8

  Article

  Studying the effects of chemical contaminants on the structure and function of microbial and meiofauna communities have traditionally focused on specific effects of single contaminants on single species. This has left the complex interactions between mixtures of contaminants and its non-specific toxicity effects on the functions and structure of sediment microbial communities mostly overlooked. In order to improve our insights on such questions, we performed an experiment where Baltic Sea sediments were spiked with an ecologically relevant mixture of seven organic contaminants below specific toxicity levels and used 16S and 18S rRNA metabarcoding from RNA extracts to monitor changes in active microbial and meiofauna diversity and community structure in the spiked treatment compared to controls. In addition, we investigated the effects of exposure to this contaminant mixture on potential nitrification rates and on the expression of key-genes in the microbial nitrification and PAH degradation pathways with qPCR. There were significant differences in both eukaryotic and microbial community structures in sediments spiked with a mixture of organic contaminants. Nematoda showed a significant increase in overall relative abundance to the added contaminants (5.5 ± 1.1% higher in spiked), particularly taxa of the genus Leptolaimus (increased from 10.2 ± 5.4% in the controls to 32.5 ± 10.2% in the spiked treatment). Conversely, a significant decrease in relative abundance from 18.2 ± 5.6% in control to 7 ± 3.4% in of the genus Paraplectana was also detected. Additionally, while the abundance of active PAH degraders was significantly higher in spiked sediments than in the controls, no significant effect of our organic mixture was found on nitrification rates or the expression of AmoA (bacterial ammonia oxidizer gene). Our data indicate that mixtures of organic contaminants can have significant effects on microbenthic community structure even when its individual components are present at concentrations below its specific toxicity. In addition, we suggest that eRNA-based metabarcoding can offer important insights in microbenthic community structure and activities, and further empathizes the potential of meiofauna as bio-indicators of chemical contamination in benthic ecosystems.

  Read more about Organic Contaminant Mixture Significantly Changes Microbenthic Community Structure and Increases the Expression of PAH Degradation Genes

• Uncovering diversity and metabolic spectrum of animals in dead zone sediments

  2020. Elias Broman (et al.). Communications biology 3 (1)

  Article

  Ocean deoxygenation driven by global warming and eutrophication is a primary concern for marine life. Resistant animals may be present in dead zone sediments, however there is lack of information on their diversity and metabolism. Here we combined geochemistry, microscopy, and RNA-seq for estimating taxonomy and functionality of micrometazoans along an oxygen gradient in the largest dead zone in the world. Nematodes are metabolically active at oxygen concentrations below 1.8 µmol L−1, and their diversity and community structure are different between low oxygen areas. This is likely due to toxic hydrogen sulfide and its potential to be oxidized by oxygen or nitrate. Zooplankton resting stages dominate the metazoan community, and these populations possibly use cytochrome c oxidase as an oxygen sensor to exit dormancy. Our study sheds light on mechanisms of animal adaptation to extreme environments. These biological resources can be essential for recolonization of dead zones when oxygen conditions improve.

  Read more about Uncovering diversity and metabolic spectrum of animals in dead zone sediments

• Above-below surface interactions mediate effects of seagrass disturbance on meiobenthic diversity, nematode and polychaete trophic structure

  2019. Francisco J. A. Nascimento (et al.). Communications Biology 2

  Article

  Ecological interactions between aquatic plants and sediment communities can shape the structure and function of natural systems. Currently, we do not fully understand how sea- grass habitat degradation impacts the biodiversity of belowground sediment communities. Here, we evaluated indirect effects of disturbance of seagrass meadows on meiobenthic community composition, with a five-month in situ experiment in a tropical seagrass meadow. Disturbance was created by reducing light availability (two levels of shading), and by mimicking grazing events (two levels) to assess impacts on meiobenthic diversity using high- throughput sequencing of 18S rRNA amplicons. Both shading and simulated grazing had an effect on meiobenthic community structure, mediated by seagrass-associated biotic drivers and sediment abiotic variables. Additionally, shading substantially altered the trophic structure of the nematode community. Our findings show that degradation of seagrass meadows can alter benthic community structure in coastal areas with potential impacts to ecosystem functions mediated by meiobenthos in marine sediments.

  Read more about Above-below surface interactions mediate effects of seagrass disturbance on meiobenthic diversity, nematode and polychaete trophic structure

• Capping with activated carbon reduces nutrient fluxes, denitrification and meiofauna in contaminated sediments

  2019. Stefano Bonaglia (et al.). Water Research 148, 515-525

  Article

  Sediment capping with activated carbon (AC) is an effective technique used in remediation of contaminated sediments, but the ecological effects on benthic microbial activity and meiofauna communities have been largely neglected. This study presents results from a 4-week experiment investigating the influence of two powdered AC materials (bituminous coal-based and coconut shell-derived) and one control material (clay) on biogeochemical processes and meiofauna in contaminated sediments. Capping with AC induced a 62‒63% decrease in denitrification and a 66‒87 % decrease in dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). Sediment porewater pH increased from 7.1 to 9.0 and 9.7 after addition of bituminous AC and biomass-derived AC, respectively. High pH (>8) persisted for at least two weeks in the bituminous AC and for at least 24 days in the coconut based AC, while capping with clay had no effect on pH. We observed a strong impact (nitrate fluxes being halved in presence of AC) on nitrification activity as nitrifiers are sensitive to high pH. This partly explains the significant decrease in nitrate reduction rates since denitrification was almost entirely coupled to nitrification. Total benthic metabolism estimated by sediment oxygen uptake was reduced by 30 and 43 % in presence of bituminous coal-based AC and coconut shell-derived AC, respectively. Meiofauna abundances decreased by 60‒62 % in the AC treatments. Taken together, these observations suggest that AC amendments deplete natural organic carbon, intended as food, to heterotrophic benthic communities. Phosphate efflux was 91 % lower in presence of bituminous AC compared to untreated sediment probably due to its content of aluminum (Al) oxides, which have high affinity for phosphate. This study demonstrates that capping with powdered AC produces significant effects on benthic biogeochemical fluxes, microbial processes and meiofauna abundances, which are likely due to an increase in porewater pH and to the sequestration of natural, sedimentary organic matter by AC particles.

  Read more about Capping with activated carbon reduces nutrient fluxes, denitrification and meiofauna in contaminated sediments

• Denitrification responses to increasing cadmium exposure in Baltic Sea sediments

  2019. Elias Broman (et al.). Aquatic Toxicology 217

  Article

  Benthic ecosystems have come under intense pressure, due to eutrophication-driven oxygen decline and industrial metal contamination. One of the most toxic metals is Cadmium (Cd), which is lethal to many aquatic organisms already at low concentrations. Denitrification by facultative anaerobic microorganisms is an essential process to transform, but also to remove, excess nitrate in eutrophied systems. Cd has been shown to decrease denitrification and sequester free sulfide, which is available when oxygen is scarce and generally inhibits complete denitrification (i.e. N2O to N2). In polluted sediments, an interaction between oxygen and Cd may influence denitrification and this relationship has not been studied. For example, in the Baltic Sea some sediments are double exposed to both Cd and hypoxia. In this study, we examined how the double exposure of Cd and fluctuations in oxygen affects denitrification in Baltic Sea sediment. Results show that oxygen largely regulated N2O and N2 production after 21 days of exposure to Cd (ranging from 0 to 500 μg/L, 5 different treatments, measured by the isotope pairing technique (IPT)). In the high Cd treatment (500 μg/L) the variation in N2 production increased compared to the other treatments. Increases in N2 production are suggested to be an effect of 1) enhanced nitrification that increases NO3− availability thus stimulating denitrification, and 2) Cd successfully sequestrating sulfide (yielding CdS), which allows for full denitrification to N2. The in situ field sediment contained initially high Cd concentrations in the pore water (∼10 μg/L) and microbial communities might already have been adapted to metal stress, making the effect of low Cd levels negligible. Here we show that high levels of cadmium pollution might increase N2 production and influence nitrogen cycling in marine sediments.

  Read more about Denitrification responses to increasing cadmium exposure in Baltic Sea sediments

• Joint effects of gamma radiation and cadmium on subcellular-, individual-and population-level endpoints of the green microalga Raphidocelis subcapitata

  2019. Clare Bradshaw (et al.). Aquatic Toxicology 211, 217-226

  Article

  Interpreting and predicting the combined effects of toxicants in the environment is an important challenge in ecotoxicology. How such effects are connected across different levels of biological organisation is an additional matter of uncertainty. Such knowledge gaps are particularly prominent with regards to how ionising radiation interacts with contaminants. We assessed the response of twelve endpoints at the subcellular, individual and population level in a green microalga when exposed singly and jointly to gamma radiation and cadmium (Cd). We used a fully factorial experimental design where observed effects were compared to those predicted by the Independent Action (IA) model for mixture toxicity to determine whether they deviated from additivity. Subcellular endpoints (e.g., catalase, thiamine diphosphate, xanthophyll cycle pigments) showed an increased antioxidant and/or photoprotective response. However, our results indicate that this protection was not sufficient to prevent lipid peroxidation, which also increased with dose. At ecologically relevant doses, most interactions between gamma radiation and Cd regarding subcellular-, individual- and population-level endpoints were additive as predicted by the IA model. However, exposure to binary mixtures displayed antagonistic interactions between gamma radiation and Cd at the higher end of the tested dose spectrum. No correlations were observed between subcellular endpoints and higher-level endpoints, but there were linkages between individual and population endpoints. Our results suggest that antagonistic interactions between gamma radiation and Cd can occur at higher doses and that these interactions seem to disseminate from subcellular and individual to population level. Possible consequences for aquatic primary production and food-web interactions are discussed.

  Read more about Joint effects of gamma radiation and cadmium on subcellular-, individual-and population-level endpoints of the green microalga Raphidocelis subcapitata

• Salinity drives meiofaunal community structure dynamics across the Baltic ecosystem

  2019. Elias Broman (et al.). Molecular Ecology 28 (16), 3813-3829

  Article

  Coastal benthic biodiversity is under increased pressure from climate change, eutrophication, hypoxia, and changes in salinity due to increase in river runoff. The Baltic Sea is a large brackish system characterized by steep environmental gradients that experiences all of the mentioned stressors. As such it provides an ideal model system for studying the impact of on‐going and future climate change on biodiversity and function of benthic ecosystems. Meiofauna (animals < 1 mm) are abundant in sediment and are still largely unexplored even though they are known to regulate organic matter degradation and nutrient cycling. In this study, benthic meiofaunal community structure was analysed along a salinity gradient in the Baltic Sea proper using high‐throughput sequencing. Our results demonstrate that areas with higher salinity have a higher biodiversity, and salinity is probably the main driver influencing meiofauna diversity and community composition. Furthermore, in the more diverse and saline environments a larger amount of nematode genera classified as predators prevailed, and meiofauna‐macrofauna associations were more prominent. These findings show that in the Baltic Sea, a decrease in salinity resulting from accelerated climate change will probably lead to decreased benthic biodiversity, and cause profound changes in benthic communities, with potential consequences for ecosystem stability, functions and services.

  Read more about Salinity drives meiofaunal community structure dynamics across the Baltic ecosystem

• Functional Performance of Three Invasive Marenzelleria Species Under Contrasting Ecological Conditions Within the Baltic Sea

  2018. Cintia O. Quintana (et al.). Estuaries and Coasts 41 (6), 1766-1781

  Article

  A 4-week laboratory experiment investigated the behaviour (survival and bioirrigation) and impact of the invasive polychaetes Marenzelleria viridis, M. neglecta and M. arctia on sediment-water solutes exchange, porewater chemistry, and Fe and P interactions in high-salinity sandy sediment (HSS) and low-salinity muddy sediment (LSM) from the Baltic Sea. M. viridis showed deep burrowing with efficient bioirrigation (11 L m⁻² day⁻¹) and high survival (71%) in HSS, while M. arctia exhibited shallow burrowing with high bioirrigation (12 L m⁻² day⁻¹) and survival (88%) in LSM. M. neglecta behaved poorly in both ecological settings (bioirrigation, 5–6 L m⁻² day⁻¹; survival, 21–44%). The deep M. viridis bioirrigation enhanced total microbial CO₂ (TCO₂) production in HSS by 175% with a net efflux of NH₄⁺ and PO₄³⁻, at rates 3- to 27-fold higher than for the other species. Although the shallow and intense bioirrigation of M. arctia in LSM stimulated microbial TCO₂ production to some extent (61% enhancement), the nutrient fluxes close to zero indicate that it effectively prevented the P release. Porewater Fe:PO₄³⁻ ratios revealed that the oxidizing effect of M. arctia bioirrigation increased the PO₄³⁻ adsorption capacity of LSM twofold relative to defaunated controls while no buffering of PO₄³⁻ was detected in M. viridis HSS treatment. Therefore, the different behaviour of the three species in various environments and the sharp contrast between M. viridis and M. arctia effects on C, N and P cycling must be considered carefully when the ecological role of Marenzelleria species in the Baltic Sea is evaluated.

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• Sample size effects on the assessment of eukaryotic diversity and community structure in aquatic sediments using high-throughput sequencing

  2018. Francisco J. A. Nascimento (et al.). Scientific Reports 8

  Article

  Understanding how biodiversity changes in time and space is vital to assess the effects of environmental change on benthic ecosystems. Due to the limitations of morphological methods, there has been a rapid expansion in the application of high-throughput sequencing methods to study benthic eukaryotic communities. However, the effect of sample size and small-scale spatial variation on the assessment of benthic eukaryotic diversity is still not well understood. Here, we investigate the effect of different sample volumes in the genetic assessment of benthic metazoan and non-metazoan eukaryotic community composition. Accordingly, DNA was extracted from five different cumulative sediment volumes comprising 100% of the top 2 cm of five benthic sampling cores, and used as template for Ilumina MiSeq sequencing of 18 S rRNA amplicons. Sample volumes strongly impacted diversity metrics for both metazoans and non-metazoan eukaryotes. Beta-diversity of treatments using smaller sample volumes was significantly different from the beta-diversity of the 100% sampled area. Overall our findings indicate that sample volumes of 0.2 g (1% of the sampled area) are insufficient to account for spatial heterogeneity at small spatial scales, and that relatively large percentages of sediment core samples are needed for obtaining robust diversity measurement of both metazoan and non-metazoan eukaryotes.

  Read more about Sample size effects on the assessment of eukaryotic diversity and community structure in aquatic sediments using high-throughput sequencing

• Methane fluxes from coastal sediments are enhanced by macrofauna

  2017. Stefano Bonaglia (et al.). Scientific Reports 7 (1)

  Article

  Methane and nitrous oxide are potent greenhouse gases (GHGs) that contribute to climate change. Coastal sediments are important GHG producers, but the contribution of macrofauna (benthic invertebrates larger than 1 mm) inhabiting them is currently unknown. Through a combination of trace gas, isotope, and molecular analyses, we studied the direct and indirect contribution of two macrofaunal groups, polychaetes and bivalves, to methane and nitrous oxide fluxes from coastal sediments. Our results indicate that macrofauna increases benthic methane efflux by a factor of up to eight, potentially accounting for an estimated 9.5% of total emissions from the Baltic Sea. Polychaetes indirectly enhance methane efflux through bioturbation, while bivalves have a direct effect on methane release. Bivalves host archaeal methanogenic symbionts carrying out preferentially hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, as suggested by analysis of methane isotopes. Low temperatures (8 °C) also stimulate production of nitrous oxide, which is consumed by benthic denitrifying bacteria before it reaches the water column. We show that macrofauna contributes to GHG production and that the extent is dependent on lineage. Thus, macrofauna may play an important, but overlooked role in regulating GHG production and exchange in coastal sediment ecosystems.

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• Spontaneous decay of small copper-cluster anions Cu-n(-) (n=3-6), on long time scales

  2017. K. Hansen (et al.). Physical Review A: covering atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum information 95 (2)

  Article

  We have measured the spontaneous neutral particle emission from copper-cluster anions ( Cu-n(-), n = 3-6) stored at cryogenic temperatures in one of the electrostatic ion storage rings of the Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring ExpEriment facility at Stockholm University. The measured rate of emission from the stored Cu-3(-) ions follows a single power-law decay for about 1 ms but then decreases much more rapidly with time. The latter behavior may be due to a decrease in the density of available final states in Cu-3 as the excitation energies of the decaying ions approach the electron detachment threshold. The emissions from Cu-4(-), Cu-5(-), and Cu-6(-) are well described by sums of two power laws that are quenched by radiative cooling of the stored ions with characteristic times between a few and hundreds of milliseconds. We relate these two-component behaviors to populations of stored ions with higher and lower angular momenta. In a separate experiment, we studied the laser-induced decay of Cu-6(-) ions that were excited by 1.13- or 1.45-eV photons after 46 ms of storage.

  Read more about Spontaneous decay of small copper-cluster anions Cu-n(-) (n=3-6), on long time scales

• The importance of benthic-pelagic coupling for marine ecosystem functioning in a changing world

  2017. Jennifer R. Griffiths (et al.). Global Change Biology 23 (6), 2179-2196

  Article

  Benthic-pelagic coupling is manifested as the exchange of energy, mass, or nutrients between benthic and pelagic habitats. It plays a prominent role in aquatic ecosystems, and it is crucial to functions from nutrient cycling to energy transfer in food webs. Coastal and estuarine ecosystem structure and function are strongly affected by anthropogenic pressures; however, there are large gaps in our understanding of the responses of inorganic nutrient and organic matter fluxes between benthic habitats and the water column. We illustrate the varied nature of physical and biological benthic-pelagic coupling processes and their potential sensitivity to three anthropogenic pressures - climate change, nutrient loading, and fishing - using the Baltic Sea as a case study and summarize current knowledge on the exchange of inorganic nutrients and organic material between habitats. Traditionally measured benthic-pelagic coupling processes (e.g., nutrient exchange and sedimentation of organic material) are to some extent quantifiable, but the magnitude and variability of biological processes are rarely assessed, preventing quantitative comparisons. Changing oxygen conditions will continue to have widespread effects on the processes that govern inorganic and organic matter exchange among habitats while climate change and nutrient load reductions may have large effects on organic matter sedimentation. Many biological processes (predation, bioturbation) are expected to be sensitive to anthropogenic drivers, but the outcomes for ecosystem function are largely unknown. We emphasize how improved empirical and experimental understanding of benthic-pelagic coupling processes and their variability are necessary to inform models that can quantify the feedbacks among processes and ecosystem responses to a changing world.

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• Direct and indirect effects of ionizing radiation on grazer-phytoplankton interactions

  2016. Francisco J. A. Nascimento, Clare Bradshaw. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 155, 63-70

  Article

  Risk assessment of exposure to radionuclides and radiation does not usually take into account the role of species interactions. We investigated how the transfer of carbon between a primary producer, Raphidocelis subcapitata, and a consumer, Daphnia magna, was affected by acute exposure to gamma radiation. In addition to unexposed controls, different treatments were used where: a) only D. magna (Z treatment); b) only R. subcapitata (P treatment) and c) both D. magna and R. subcapitata (ZP treatment) were exposed to one of three acute doses of gamma radiation (5, 50 and 100 Gy). We then compared differences among treatments for three endpoints: incorporation of carbon by D. magna, D. magna growth and R. subcapitata densities. Carbon incorporation was affected by which combination of species was irradiated and by the radiation dose. Densities of R. subcapitata at the end of the experiment were also affected by which species had been exposed to radiation. Carbon incorporation by D. magna was significantly lower in the Z treatment, indicating reduced grazing, an effect stronger with higher radiation doses, possibly due to direct effects of gamma radiation. Top-down indirect effects of this reduced grazing were also seen as R. subcapitata densities increased in the Z treatment due to decreased herbivory. The opposite pattern was observed in the P treatment where only R. subcapitata was exposed to gamma radiation, while the ZP treatment showed intermediate results for both endpoints. In the P treatments, carbon incorporation by D. magna was significantly higher than in the other treatments, suggesting a higher grazing pressure. This, together with direct effects of gamma radiation on R. subcapitata, probably significantly decreased phytoplankton densities in the P treatment. Our results highlight the importance of taking into account the role of species interactions when assessing the effects of exposure to gamma radiation in aquatic ecosystems.

  Read more about Direct and indirect effects of ionizing radiation on grazer-phytoplankton interactions

• Joint Toxicity of Cadmium and Ionizing Radiation on Zooplankton Carbon Incorporation, Growth and Mobility

  2016. Francisco J. A. Nascimento, Claus Svendsen, Clare Bradshaw. Environmental Science and Technology 50 (3), 1527-1535

  Article

  The risk of exposure to radioactive elements is seldom assessed considering mixture toxicity, potentially over-or underestimating biological and ecological effects on ecosystems. This study investigated'how three end points, carbon transfer between phytoplankton and Daphnia magna, D. magna mobility and growth, responded to exposure to gamma-radiation in combination with the heavy metal cadmium (Cd), using the MIXTOX approach. Observed effects were compared with mixture effects predicted by concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) models and with deviations for synergistic/antagonistic (S/A), dose-level (DL), and dose-ratio (DR) dependency interactions. Several patterns of response were observed depending on the end point tested. DL-dependent deviation from the IA model was observed for carbon incorporation with antagonism switching to synergism at higher doses, while the CA model indicated synergism, mainly driven by effects at high doses of gamma-radiation. CA detected= antagonism regarding acute immobilization, while IA predicted DR dependency. Both CA and IA also identified antagonism for daphnid growth. In general, effects of combinations of gamma-radiation and Cd seem to be antagonistic at lower doses, but synergistic at the higher range of.the doses tested. Our results highlight the importance of investigating the effects of exposure to gamma-radiation in a multistressor context.

  Read more about Joint Toxicity of Cadmium and Ionizing Radiation on Zooplankton Carbon Incorporation, Growth and Mobility

• Combined Effects from gamma Radiation and Fluoranthene Exposure on Carbon Transfer from Phytoplankton to Zooplankton

  2015. Francisco J. A. Nascimento, Claus Svendsen, Clare Bradshaw. Environmental Science and Technology 49 (17), 10624-10631

  Article

  Risk assessment does not usually take into account mixtures of contaminants, thus potentially under- or overestimating environmental effects. We investigated how the transfer of carbon between a primary producer, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, and a consumer, Daphnia magna, is affected by acute exposure of gamma radiation (GR) in combination with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fluoranthene (FA). We exposed D. magna to five concentrations of FA and five acute doses of GR as single contaminants and in nine binary combinations. We compared the observed data for three end points (incorporation of carbon by D. magna, D. magna ingestion rates, and growth) to the predicted joint effects of the mixed stressors based on the independent action (IA) concept. There were deviations from the IA predictions, especially for ingestion rates and carbon incorporation by D. magna, where antagonistic effects were observed at the lower doses, while synergism was seen at the highest doses. Our results highlight the importance of investigating the effects of exposure to GR in a multistressor context. In mixtures of GR and FA, the IA-predicted effects seem to be conservative as antagonism between the two stressors was the dominant pattern, possibly due to stimulation of cellular antioxidative stress mechanisms.

  Read more about Combined Effects from gamma Radiation and Fluoranthene Exposure on Carbon Transfer from Phytoplankton to Zooplankton

• Meiofauna increases bacterial denitrification in marine sediments

  2014. Stefano Bonaglia (et al.). Nature Communications 5, 5133

  Article

  Denitrification is a critical process that can alleviate the effects of excessive nitrogen availability in aquatic ecosystems subject to eutrophication. An important part of denitrification occurs in benthic systems where bioturbation by meiofauna (invertebrates <1mm) and its effect on element cycling are still not well understood. Here we study the quantitative impact of meiofauna populations of different abundance and diversity, in the presence and absence of macrofauna, on nitrate reduction, carbon mineralization and methane fluxes. In sediments with abundant and diverse meiofauna, denitrification is double that in sediments with low meiofauna, suggesting that meiofauna bioturbation has a stimulating effect on nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. However, high meiofauna densities in the presence of bivalves do not stimulate denitrification, while dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium rate and methane efflux are significantly enhanced. We demonstrate that the ecological interactions between meio-, macrofauna and bacteria are important in regulating nitrogen cycling in soft-sediment ecosystems.

  Read more about Meiofauna increases bacterial denitrification in marine sediments

• Allometric Growth in Red Porgy Larvae: Developing Morphological Indices for Mesocosm Semi-Intensive Culture

  2013. Carlos A. P. Andrade (et al.). North American Journal of Aquaculture 75 (1), 42-49

  Article

  We studied the morphological development, allometric growth, and cannibalistic behavior of Red Porgy Pagrus pagrus reared in mesocosm semi-intensive culture. The study was conducted from hatching to 32 d after hatching (DAH). Red porgy ontogeny was characterized by strong positive allometric growth of body depth at anus (BDA) to 6.7mm total length (TL) at about 2122 DAH. The BDA combined with standard length (SL) in a morphometric index was found to be better correlated with dry weight than TL and provided an improved method to estimate larval growth. Mouth size also exhibited strong positive allometric growth at early larval stages that, together with inflation of the swim bladder, may have contributed to improve feeding ability, in preparation for the high energy demands of metamorphosis. A predictive regression model developed for cannibalism underestimated prey size. Cannibalism coincided with the development of acidic digestion and was first evident at 27 DAH as larvae reached about 23% of their maximum size variation. We hypothesize that cannibalism is associated with larval size and condition, but is prompted by physiological and energetic factors. The bivariate morphometric index developed in this study can be used to mitigate cannibalism by controlling larval size variation and improving feed supply. The morphological measurements and morphometric indices that result from this study provide important tools for improving red porgy larvae culture. Received December 13, 2011; accepted July 12, 2012

  Read more about Allometric Growth in Red Porgy Larvae

• EFFECT OF MEIOFAUNA ON BENTHIC ELEMENT CYCLING IN A BALTIC SEA COASTAL AREA

  2013. Stefano Bonaglia (et al.).

  Conference

  We have studied the role of meiofaunal communities for nutrient cycling and organic matter mineralization in coastal sediments of the Baltic Sea. Although meiofauna is orders of magnitude more abundant than macrofauna and has commonly a much more diverse community structure, its importance for sediment biogeochemical pathways is poorly understood because of objective experimental difficulties when manipulating meiofauna communities due to small body sizes (0.04 to 1 mm) and inherent fragility. We used a density extraction method to separate intact and living metazoans from sediment and tested the effect of low meiofauna and high meiofauna abundances in the presence and absence of macrofauna for exchange rates of nutrients, O₂, DIC, N₂, and CH₄. High abundances of meiofauna stimulated O₂ uptake and the net N₂ efflux by 16% and 34%, respectively, but did not change oxygen penetration depths significantly. By contrast, macrofauna increased oxygen penetration depths by 21% and stimulated methane emissions by a factor of 8. These results demonstrate the importance of meiofauna in the regulation of aerobic and anaerobic microbial processes and benthic fluxes in marine sediments.

  Read more about EFFECT OF MEIOFAUNA ON BENTHIC ELEMENT CYCLING IN A BALTIC SEA COASTAL AREA

• Benthic fauna affects recruitment from sediments of the harmful cyano­bacterium Nodularia spumigena

  2012. Agnes M. L. Karlson (et al.). Harmful Algae 20, 126-131

  Article

  Physical disturbance and feeding by macrofauna in the sediment can potentially affect bloom initiation of phytoplankton species that have benthic stages in their life cycle. In this experimental study, we investigated how different species of macrozoobenthos can affect the recruitment of Nodularia spumigena from the sediment to the water column. N. spumigena is a toxic, nitrogen-fixing filamentous cyanobacterium, which forms large summer blooms in the Baltic Sea. Benthic recruitment from resting stages (akinetes) and vegetative cells deposited on the seafloor have long been suspected to initiate the blooms. We found that, depending on species-specific traits, deposit-feeding macrofauna (an amphipod, Monoporeia affinis, a bivalve, Macoma balthica and an invasive polychaete, Marenzelleria cf. arctia) has the potential to either reduce or facilitate recruitment of this cyanobacterium. Shorter filament length in treatments with fauna than in the treatment without indicates feeding on or mechanical destruction of N. spumigena by the animals. Our results show the importance of an often overlooked aspect of phytoplankton bloom initiation, the role of macrozoobenthos.

  Read more about Benthic fauna affects recruitment from sediments of the harmful cyano­bacterium Nodularia spumigena

• Ecosystem effects of materials proposed for thin-layer capping of contaminated sediments

  2012. J. Näslund (et al.). Marine Ecology Progress Series 449, 27-U46

  Article

  Ecotoxicological effects of 2 carbonaceous and 7 mineral capping materials suggested for in situ remediation of contaminated sediments in the Grenland fjords, Norway, were investigated in a mesocosm experiment. The primary objective was to compare the various materials with regard to potentially harmful effects on the benthic ecosystem. The materials assessed were activated carbon, Kraft-lignin, sand and clay materials, and 3 industrial by-products. Using sediment box-core samples with intact benthic communities, effects on structural (bacterial, macro-and meiofauna diversity) and functional (sediment-to-water nutrient fluxes, oxygen fluxes and bacterial production) endpoints were assessed. Significant deviations from the control (no capping) were detected for all of the tested materials for at least one endpoint. Generally, materials similar to the indigenous sediment (clay, sand) had relatively low deviations from the control, whereas industrial products (plaster, 2 types of crushed marble) resulted in deviations for most endpoints and large reductions in community richness and abundance. For example, at the end of the experimental period, the number of macrofauna taxa was <10 in these treatments, compared to >27 in uncapped mesocosm and field control sediments. The results from the study show that reducing harmful ecosystem effects from thin-layer capping by selecting capping materials based on robust, multi-endpoint mesocosm bench-tests is both possible and recommendable. Potential ecosystem impacts are particularly important to consider when large areas and areas with adequate ecological status are considered for thin-layer capping.

  Read more about Ecosystem effects of materials proposed for thin-layer capping of contaminated sediments

• Meiofauna enhances organic matter mineralization in soft sediment ecosystems

  2012. Francisco J. A. Nascimento, Johan Näslund, Ragnar Elmgren. Limnology and Oceanography 57 (1), 338-346

  Article

  We investigated the influence of meiofauna on the benthic decomposition of a radiolabeled diatom bloom by measuring the production of (CO2)-C-14 in a laboratory microcosm. Mineralization of the diatom bloom material in the sediment was significantly enhanced in the treatment with high meiofauna abundance, with cumulative mineralization values, on average, 50% greater in the treatment with high meiofaunal abundance after 17 d, compared to sediments with low meiofauna abundance. In addition, bacteria species composition in the treatment with high meiofauna abundance was significantly different from the treatment with low meiofauna abundance, indicating that the activities of meiofauna in the sediments had an effect on the bacterial community composition. Meiofauna can enhance the mineralization of organic matter, probably by stimulating the activity of sediment bacterial community, indicating that positive biological interactions such as facilitation from meiofauna are important for ecosystem processes in soft sediments.

  Read more about Meiofauna enhances organic matter mineralization in soft sediment ecosystems

• Red Porgy, Pagrus pagrus, Larvae Performance and Nutritional Condition in Response to Different Weaning Regimes

  2012. Carlos A. P. Andrade (et al.). Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 43 (3), 321-334

  Article

  Red porgy, Pagrus pagrus, is a candidate species for aquaculture diversification. The aim of this work was to assess whether an early supply of enriched Artemia (D1) or a direct step to dry diets (D3) would be advantageous weaning strategies for red porgy larvae, compared to a later supply of Artemia followed by dry diets (D2). Direct weaning to dry diet resulted in significantly lower growth, survival, pancreatic (trypsin and lipase), and intestinal (alkaline phosphatase) enzyme-specific activity, with the exception of leucine-alanine peptidase. The direct weaning strategy presented severe nutritional restrictions from early weaning stages with an associated delay of the maturation of digestive system. The two-step strategy presented in D1 and D2 resulted in comparable results in most parameters, including survival. Weaning using enriched Artemia as an intermediate step is confirmed as the most adequate strategy for red porgy larvae. Digestive enzymes and selected fatty acids correlated well with performance responses to dietary regimes, thereby supporting the use of these parameters as sensitive and reliable indicators of red porgy nutritional or physiological status during larval stages.

  Read more about Red Porgy, Pagrus pagrus, Larvae Performance and Nutritional Condition in Response to Different Weaning Regimes

• Diversity of larger consumers enhances interference competition effects on smaller competitors

  2011. Francisco J. A. Nascimento (et al.). Oecologia 166 (2), 337-347

  Article

  Competition between large and small species for the same food is common in a number of ecosystems including aquatic ones. How diversity of larger consumers affects the access of smaller competitors to a limiting resource is not well understood. We tested experimentally how species richness (0-3 spp.) of benthic deposit-feeding macrofauna changes meiofaunal ostracods' incorporation of fresh organic matter from a stable-isotope-labeled cyanobacterial bloom, using fauna from the species-poor Baltic Sea. Presence of macrofauna mostly decreased meiofaunal incorporation of bloom material, depending on the macrofauna species present. As expected, the species identity of macrofauna influenced the incorporation of organic matter by meiofauna. Interestingly, our results show that, in addition, species richness of the macrofauna significantly reduced meiofauna incorporation of freshly settled nitrogen and carbon. With more than one macrofauna species, the reduction was always greater than expected from the single-species treatments. Field data from the Baltic Sea showed a negative correlation between macrofauna diversity and meiofaunal ostracod abundance, as expected from the experimental results. We argue that this is caused by interference competition, due to spatial niche differentiation between macrofauna species reducing the sediment volume in which ostracods can feed undisturbed by larger competitors. Interference from macrofauna significantly reduces organic matter incorporation by meiofauna, indicating that diversity of larger consumers is an important factor controlling the access of smaller competitors to a limiting food resource.

  Read more about Diversity of larger consumers enhances interference competition effects on smaller competitors

• Higher diversity of deposit-feeding macrofauna enhances phytodetritus processing

  2010. Agnes M. L. Karlson (et al.). Ecology 91 (5), 1414-1423

  Article

  The link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is an important question that remains unresolved, particularly in marine systems, in which cycling of organic matter by benthic organisms is of global significance. Direct observations of specific resource use by each species in single- and multispecies communities, as quantified by stable isotopes, facilitates a mechanistic understanding of the importance of each species for ecosystem functioning. We tested the effects of altered biodiversity (species richness) of deposit-feeding macrofauna on incorporation and burial of phytodetritus in combinations of three species representing natural communities found in the sediments of the species-poor Baltic Sea. The three species, two amphipods and a bivalve, had different rates of incorporation and burial and different needs for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). The amphipods exhibited clear resource partitioning in sympatry, as a result of vertical separation in the sediment and consequent differential use of food. Communities of several species incorporated more C and N than expected from the respective single-species treatments, due to higher incorporation by surface feeders in multispecies treatments. Community incorporation of N in the most diverse treatment even exceeded N incorporation by a single-species treatment of the best-performing species, showing transgressive over-yielding. This over-yielding was primarily due to positive complementarity in all treatments. Diverse soft bottoms are also likely to be more productive in the long run, as species-specific traits (subsurface feeding) preserve fresh phytodetritus by burying it to depths in the sediment at which the mineralization rate is low. The more diverse sediment communities showed more efficient trophic transfer of phytodetritus, a finding of general significance for understanding biological processes driving the transformation of nutrients and energy in benthic ecosystems.

  Read more about Higher diversity of deposit-feeding macrofauna enhances phytodetritus processing

• Meiofauna enhances organic matter mineralization in soft sediment ecosystems

  2010. Francisco Nascimento, Johan Näslund, Ragnar Elmgren.

  Organic matter mineralization in soft sediments is a key process mediated by benthic fauna and bacteria that is crucial for sustaining primary production in aquatic systems. Few studies have examined the effect of meiofauna on the degradation of labile organic matter in soft sediments. Here we investigated the influence of meiofauna on the benthic decomposition of a radiolabelled diatom bloom by measuring the production of ¹⁴CO₂ in a laboratory microcosm. Mineralization of the diatom bloom material was significantly enhanced when meiofauna was present in higher abundances, with cumulative mineralization values after 17 days being on average 50% greater in the treatment with high meiofauna abundance compared to sediments with low meiofauna abundance. Our experiment shows that meiofauna can enhance the mineralization of organic matter, probably by stimulating the activity of sediment bacterial community, indicating that positive biological interactions such as facilitation from meiofauna are important for ecosystem processes in soft sediments.

  Read more about Meiofauna enhances organic matter mineralization in soft sediment ecosystems

• Meiofauna reduces bacterial mineralization of naphthalene in marine sediment

  2010. Johan Näslund, Francisco Nascimento, Jonas Gunnarsson. The ISME journal (4), 1421-1430

  Article

  The role of sediment-living meiofauna, benthic invertebrates smaller than 1000lm, such as nematodes and ostracods, on the mineralization of naphthalene, a common polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), in marine sediment was studied in microcosms using radiorespirometry. A method to extract live meiofauna was developed and used in order to experimentally manipulate meiofauna abundance and group diversity. Higher abundances of meiofauna were found to significantly decrease naphthalene mineralization. Furthermore, a change in the bacterial community composition (studied using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism) was also observed in presence of higher meiofauna abundance, as well as a lower number of cultivable naphthalene-degrading bacteria. The reduced mineralization of naphthalene and the altered bacterial community composition in the presence of increased meiofauna abundance is likely the result of top-down control by meiofauna. This study shows that higher abundances of meiofauna can significantly decrease the microbial mineralization of PAHs such as naphthalene and also significantly modify the bacterial community composition in natural marine sediments.

  Read more about Meiofauna reduces bacterial mineralization of naphthalene in marine sediment

• Trophic ecology of meiofauna: Response to sedimentation of phytoplankton blooms in the Baltic Sea

  2010. Francisco J.A. Nascimento.

  Thesis (Doc)

  Marine soft sediments are the second largest habitat on Earth. How animal communities in this habitat are structured is a central issue in marine ecology. Food is an important limiting factor for many benthic populations, and settling organic matter from phytoplankton blooms is of vital importance to them. This thesis discusses the effects of settling phytoplankton blooms on benthic meiofaunal populations in the Baltic Sea and how species interactions affect the fate of settled organic matter. Eutrophication in the Baltic Sea has altered phytoplankton community dynamics, with indications that toxin-producing cyanobacterial blooms may reach the benthos in greater quantity than previously. Paper I found that meiofauna feed on settled cyanobacteria, yet suffer no increase in mortality. However, growth of meiofauna is significantly slower on a diet of cyanobacteria than when fed spring bloom diatoms, indicating that the studied cyanobacteria are nutritionally poor (Paper II). In Paper III we found that the presence of macrofauna reduces the access of meiofauna to settled organic matter, presumably through interference competition that increases when several macrofauna species are present. We also found that meiofaunal populations influence the provision of ecosystem services by benthic microbes. Paper IV shows that when meiofauna is abundant, mineralization of organic matter is positively affected, presumably through facilitation mechanisms. In contrast, paper V reports that degradation of the contaminant naphtalene decreases significantly at high meiofauna abundance.

  In conclusion, this thesis shows that type and quality of organic matter available, as well as competition from macrofauna, affect how meiofauna grow and incorporate nutrients. Furthermore we found meiofauna to be an important functional component of the benthic ecosystem, with marked effects on ecosystem processes such as nutrient regeneration and contaminant degradation.

  Read more about Trophic ecology of meiofauna

• Settling cyanobacterial blooms do not improve growth conditions for soft bottom meiofauna

  2009. Francisco Nascimento (et al.). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 368, 138-146

  Article

  Summer blooms of the toxin-producing cyanobacteria Nodularia spumigena are frequent in the Baltic Sea and recent findings suggest that they may be an important food source for the benthos below the euphotic zone. To investigate the effects of settling spring and summer phytoplankton blooms on meiofaunal growth, we assayed concentrations of nucleic acids in three ostracod species (Candona neglecta; Heterocyprideis sorbyana and Paracyprideis fennica) and one genus of nematodes (Paracanthonchus spp.) after incubation in sediments with the one of the following food additions: (1) diatoms, (2) the cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena, (3) Tetraphyll® as a known high-quality food source, (4) lignin as a refractory artificial food, and (5) control (no added organic matter). The ribosomal ribonucleic acid (RNA) content and RNA:DNA ratios of the tested organisms were lower in the cyanobacteria treatment than in the diatom treatment, with the difference in RNA:DNA ratios being statistically significant for all species except C. neglecta. Moreover, individuals incubated with N. spumigena showed RNA:DNA levels similar to those found in the lignin and control treatments. Furthermore, N. spumigena had lower concentrations of both enzymatically hydrolysable amino acids (EHAA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) than diatoms suggesting lower nutritional quality for consumers. These results indicate that recently settled summer blooms of N. spumigena are nutritionally poor and do not improve conditions for meiofaunal growth in Baltic sediments. In contrast, input of diatoms to the sediments during spring is crucial for meiofaunal growth.

  Read more about Settling cyanobacterial blooms do not improve growth conditions for soft bottom meiofauna

• Incorporation and burial of carbon from settling cyanobacterial blooms by deposit-feeding macrofauna

  2008. Agnes Karlson, Francisco Nascimento, Ragnar Elmgren. Limnology and Oceanography 53 (6), 2754-2758

  Article

  Summer blooms of filamentous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria are typical of the Baltic Sea, and recent findings indicate that cyanobacteria may be an important food source for the benthos below the euphotic zone. In a 2-week laboratory experiment, we measured incorporation of cyanobacterial carbon by the deposit-feeding amphipod Monoporeia affinis when exposed to ¹⁴C-radiolabeled, natural blooms of cyanobacteria dominated by either the toxic Nodularia spumigena or non-toxic Aphanizomenon sp. Carbon from both cyanobacterial blooms was used, with greater incorporation from Aphanizomenon-dominated bloom material than from N. spumigena, indicating that the latter is less suitable as food. However, neither cyanobacterium supported significant amphipod growth. Also, less cyanobacterial carbon was mixed down in the sediment in the N. spumigena treatment, indicating lower bioturbation activity in this treatment. Long-term effects on feeding and survival remain to be studied, especially for the toxic N. spumigena.

  Read more about Incorporation and burial of carbon from settling cyanobacterial blooms by deposit-feeding macrofauna

• Settling blooms of filamentous cyanobacteria as food for meiofauna assemblages.

  2008. F.J.A. Nascimento, A.M.L. Karlson, R. Elmgren. Limnology and Oceanography 53 (6), 2636-2643

  Article

  Summer blooms of filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea are normally dominated by Aphanizomenon sp. and the toxin-producing Nodularia spumigena. In a 2-week laboratory experiment, we followed the uptake by representative benthic meiofauna species of C-14-labeled organic carbon from blooms, each dominated by one of these cyanobacteria. Natural bloom material was collected and labeled by incubation with (NaHCO3)-C-14. Uptake of cyanobacterial carbon was recorded for the major meiofauna taxa living in the first-centimeter layer, namely ostracods, harpacticoids, and nematodes. The uptake rates were within the range found for diatoms in other studies, indicating that cyanobacteria may be an important food resource for the meiobenthos. The uptake of cyanobacterial carbon varied significantly among species, even within the same class. The ostracod Candona neglecta showed the highest uptake values, whereas two other ostracod species took up very little of the label. There was no significant difference in utilization of carbon from Aphanizomenon sp. and N. spumigena and no reduction in the abundance of the meiofaunal taxa analyzed compared to unexposed controls, indicating that Baltic meiofaunal assemblages in general experience no mortality when exposed to settled cyanobacteria, even the hepatotoxic N. spumigena.

  Read more about Settling blooms of filamentous cyanobacteria as food for meiofauna assemblages.

• The effects of settling cyanobacterial blooms on meiofaunal assemblages of the Baltic Sea

  2007. Francisco Nascimento.

  Thesis (Lic)

  Read more about The effects of settling cyanobacterial blooms on meiofaunal assemblages of the Baltic Sea

Show all publications by Francisco Jardim de Almada Nascimento at Stockholm University