North Sea ecosystem change from swimming crabs to seagulls

A recent increase in sea temperature has established a new ecosystem dynamic regime in the North Sea. Climate-induced changes in decapods have played an important role. Here, we reveal a coincident increase in the abundance of swimming crabs and lesser black-backed gull colonies in the North Sea, both in time and in space. Swimming crabs are an important food source for lesser black-backed gulls during the breeding season. Inhabiting the land, but feeding mainly at sea, lesser black-backed gulls provide a link between marine and terrestrial ecosystems, since the bottom-up influence of allochthonous nutrient input from seabirds to coastal soils can structure the terrestrial food web. We, therefore, suggest that climate-driven changes in trophic interactions in the marine food web may also have ensuing ramifications for the coastal ecology of the North Sea.     

A blooming jellyfish in the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean

A long-term time series of plankton records collected by the continuous plankton recorder (CPR) Survey in the northeast Atlantic indicates an increased occurrence of Cnidaria since 2002. In the years 2007 and 2008, outbreaks of the warm-temperate scyphomedusa, Pelagia noctiluca, appeared in CPR samples between 45° N to 58° N and 1° W to 26° W. Knowing the biology of this species and its occurrence in the adjacent Mediterranean Sea, we suggest that P. noctiluca may be exploiting recent hydroclimatic changes in the northeast Atlantic to increase its extent and intensity of outbreaks. In pelagic ecosystems, Cnidaria can affect fish recruitment negatively. Since P. noctiluca is a highly venomous species, outbreaks can also be detrimental to aquaculture and make bathing waters unusable, thus having profound ecological and socio-economic consequences.     

Qualitative assessment of the diet of European eel larvae in the Sargasso Sea resolved by DNA barcoding

European eels (Anguilla anguilla) undertake spawning migrations of more than 5000 km from continental Europe and North Africa to frontal zones in the Sargasso Sea. Subsequently, the larval offspring are advected by large-scale eastward ocean currents towards continental waters. However, the Sargasso Sea is oligotrophic, with generally low plankton biomass, and the feeding biology of eel larvae has so far remained a mystery, hampering understanding of this peculiar life history. DNA barcoding of gut contents of 61 genetically identified A. anguilla larvae caught in the Sargasso Sea showed that even the smallest larvae feed on a striking variety of plankton organisms, and that gelatinous zooplankton is of fundamental dietary importance. Hence, the specific plankton composition seems essential for eel larval feeding and growth, suggesting a linkage between eel survival and regional plankton productivity. These novel insights into the prey of Atlantic eels may furthermore facilitate eel larval rearing in aquaculture, which ultimately may replace the unsustainable use of wild-caught glass eels.     

Diet overlap among flatfish species in the southern North Sea

The diets of two non-commercial flatfish species (solenette Buglossidium luteum and scaldfish Arnoglossus laterna) and two commercial flatfish species (dab Limanda limanda and plaice Pleuronectes platessa) were compared in a study area in the German Bight (southern North Sea) to investigate prey-resource partitioning between these species. The diets of A. laterna and B. luteum mainly comprised crustaceans (harpacticoids, amphipods, cumaceans and decapods), whereas the diet of L. limanda and P. platessa consisted mainly of polychaetes. The Schoener index, calculated for different fish size classes between these flatfish species, showed a biologically significant diet overlap between small-sized L. limanda and P. platessa and B. luteum and A. laterna, using similar prey resources of smaller prey (e.g. amphipods, harpacticoids and juvenile bivalves). In contrast, with increasing body size, a change in the diet of L. limanda and P. platessa towards larger prey occurred (e.g. polychaetes and decapods), resulting in low diet overlap values with B. luteum and A. laterna. Due to these size-related differences in resource use, it is assumed that there is reduced interspecific competition for prey between larger L. limanda and P. platessa and both non-commercial flatfishes, probably facilitating resource partitioning within the same area. In contrast, smaller L. limanda and P. platessa may compete directly for the same prey resources with B. luteum and A. laterna. Furthermore, prey availability of most important prey items of the studied flatfishes was relatively low in the study area. Therefore, increasing abundances of B. luteum and A. laterna in the southern North Sea since the late 1980s, owing to fishing effects and climate change, might affect the population dynamics of L. limanda and P. platessa.     

Distribution and some biological features of Lycodes raridens (Zoarcidae) in the western part of the Bering Sea

Based on a bottom trawl survey, it is shown that in Karaginskii and Olyutorskii bays of the western part of the Bering Sea, Lycodes raridens is a typically elittoral species, since it was recorded at depths of 52–120 m, and the majority of individuals of this species were found in the range of depths 50–100 m. The maximum concentrations of Lycodes raridens were 139 ind./km² or 98 kg/km², whereas the average values of the distribution density of this species were 7.8 ind.km² or 5.4 kg/km². In Karaginskii and Olyutorskii bays, Lycodes raridens is represented by individuals with a length of 16–86 cm, weight of 34–4510 g, at the age of 1+ to 7+, although fish with a length of 30–50 cm, weight of 100–1000 g, and age of 3+–4+ dominate. The data obtained suggest that in the autumn or autumn-winter period, the study species spawns in the western part of the Bering Sea. The dominant food of Lycodes raridens here are amphipods, polychaetes, bivalves, and decapods; by occurrence and the relative content in the stomach (% of weight), amphipods (as a rule, Melita spp.) and bivalves (Yoldia spp. and Macoma sp.) dominate. Lycodes raridens is a benthophage in which, at the early stage of the life cycle, gammarids prevail in food; with growth, its diet becomes more diverse due to bivalves, polychaetes, and decapods.     

Composition of the summer photosynthetic pico and nanoplankton communities in the Beaufort Sea assessed by T-RFLP and sequences of the 18S rRNA gene from flow cytometry sorted samples

The composition of photosynthetic pico and nanoeukaryotes was investigated in the North East Pacific and the Arctic Ocean with special emphasis on the Beaufort Sea during the MALINA cruise in summer 2009. Photosynthetic populations were sorted using flow cytometry based on their size and pigment fluorescence. Diversity of the sorted photosynthetic eukaryotes was determined using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and cloning/sequencing of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene. Picoplankton was dominated by Mamiellophyceae, a class of small green algae previously included in the prasinophytes: in the North East Pacific, the contribution of an Arctic Micromonas ecotype increased steadily northward becoming the only taxon occurring at most stations throughout the Beaufort Sea. In contrast, nanoplankton was more diverse: North Pacific stations were dominated by Pseudo-nitzschia sp. whereas those in the Beaufort Sea were dominated by two distinct Chaetoceros species as well as by Chrysophyceae, Pelagophyceae and Chrysochromulina spp.. This study confirms the importance of Arctic Micromonas within picoplankton throughout the Beaufort Sea and demonstrates that the photosynthetic picoeukaryote community in the Arctic is much less diverse than at lower latitudes. Moreover, in contrast to what occurs in warmer waters, most of the key pico- and nanoplankton species found in the Beaufort Sea could be successfully established in culture.     

Transitional states in marine fisheries: adapting to predicted global change

Global climate change has the potential to substantially alter the production and community structure of marine fisheries and modify the ongoing impacts of fishing. Fish community composition is already changing in some tropical, temperate and polar ecosystems, where local combinations of warming trends and higher environmental variation anticipate the changes likely to occur more widely over coming decades. Using case studies from the Western Indian Ocean, the North Sea and the Bering Sea, we contextualize the direct and indirect effects of climate change on production and biodiversity and, in turn, on the social and economic aspects of marine fisheries. Climate warming is expected to lead to (i) yield and species losses in tropical reef fisheries, driven primarily by habitat loss; (ii) community turnover in temperate fisheries, owing to the arrival and increasing dominance of warm-water species as well as the reduced dominance and departure of cold-water species; and (iii) increased diversity and yield in Arctic fisheries, arising from invasions of southern species and increased primary production resulting from ice-free summer conditions. How societies deal with such changes will depend largely on their capacity to adapt--to plan and implement effective responses to change--a process heavily influenced by social, economic, political and cultural conditions.     

Influence of oceanic factors on Anguilla anguilla (L.) over the twentieth century in coastal habitats of the Skagerrak,southern Norway

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) is distributed in coastal and inland habitats all over Europe, but spawns in the Sargasso Sea and is thus affected by both continental and oceanic factors. Since the 1980s a steady decline has been observed in the recruitment of glass eels to freshwater and in total eel landings. The eel is considered as critically endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List of species. The Skagerrak beach seine survey from Norway constitutes the longest fishery-independent dataset on yellow/silver eels (starting in 1904). The Skagerrak coastal region receives larvae born in the Sargasso Sea spawning areas that have followed the Gulf Stream/North Atlantic Drift before they penetrate far into the North Sea. The Skagerrak coastal time series is therefore particularly valuable for exploring the impacts of oceanic factors on fluctuations in eel recruitment abundance. Analyses showed that Sargasso Sea surface temperature was negatively correlated with eel abundance, with a lag of 12 years revealing a cyclic and detrimental effect of high temperatures on the newly hatched larvae. The North Atlantic Oscillation index and inflow of North Atlantic water into the North Sea were negatively correlated with eel abundance, with a lag of 11 years. Increased currents towards the North Atlantic during high North Atlantic Oscillation years may send larvae into the subpolar gyre before they are ready to metamorphose and settle, resulting in low recruitment in the northern part of the distribution area for these years. The Skagerrak time series was compared with glass eel recruitment to freshwater in the Netherlands (Den Oever glass eel time series), and similar patterns were found revealing a cycle linked to changes in oceanic factors affecting glass eel recruitment. The recent decline of eels in the Skagerrak also coincided with previously documented shifts in environmental conditions of the North Sea ecosystem.     

Future climate‐driven shifts in distribution of Calanus finmarchicus

Calanus finmarchicus is a key‐structural species of the North Atlantic polar biome. The species plays an important trophic role in subpolar and polar ecosystems as a grazer of phytoplankton and as a prey for higher trophic levels such as the larval stages of many fish species. Here, we used a recently developed ecological niche model to assess the ecological niche (sensu Hutchinson) of C. finmarchicus and characterize its spatial distribution. This model explained about 65% of the total variance of the observed spatial distribution inferred from an independent dataset (data of the continuous plankton recorder survey). Comparisons with other types of models (structured population and ecophysiological models) revealed a clear similarity between modeled spatial distributions at the scale of the North Atlantic. Contemporary models coupled with future projections indicated a progressive reduction of the spatial habitat of the species at the southern edge and a more pronounced one in the Georges Bank, the Scotian Shelf and the North Sea and a potential increase in abundance at the northern edge of its spatial distribution, especially in the Barents Sea. These major changes will probably lead to a major alteration of the trophodynamics of North Atlantic ecosystems affecting the trophodynamics and the biological carbon pump.     

Biogeography and phylogenetic diversity of a cluster of exclusively marine myxobacteria

Myxobacteria are common in terrestrial habitats and well known for their formation of fruiting bodies and production of secondary metabolites. We studied a cluster of myxobacteria consisting only of sequences of marine origin (marine myxobacteria cluster, MMC) in sediments of the North Sea. Using a specific PCR, MMC sequences were detected in North Sea sediments down to 2.2 m depth, but not in the limnetic section of the Weser estuary and other freshwater habitats. In the water column, this cluster was only detected on aggregates up to a few meters above the sediment surface, but never in the fraction of free-living bacteria. A quantitative real-time PCR approach revealed that the MMC constituted up to 13% of total bacterial 16S rRNA genes in surface sediments of the North Sea. In a global survey, including sediments from the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean and various climatic regions, the MMC was detected in most samples and to a water depth of 4300 m. Two fosmids of a library from sediment of the southern North Sea containing 16S rRNA genes affiliated with the MMC were sequenced. Both fosmids have a single unlinked 16S rRNA gene and no complete rRNA operon as found in most bacteria. No synteny to other myxobacterial genomes was found. The highest numbers of orthologues for both fosmids were assigned to Sorangium cellulosum and Haliangium ochraceum. Our results show that the MMC is an important and widely distributed but largely unknown component of marine sediment-associated bacterial communities.     

Distribution of tintinnid species from 42° N to 43° S through the Indian Ocean

Taking advantage of the transfer of the Italian R/V “Italica” from Italy to New Zealand for the Italian Research Expedition in the Antarctic, surface sampling of plankton was carried out from 42°N to 43°S from 14 November to 16 December 2001. Collaboration between several Italian research groups resulted in the Mediterranean, Indian and Pacific Ocean Transect (MIPOT), aimed to merge oceanographic measurements with remotely sensed data and to study latitudinal changes in plankton communities. We present preliminary results on the tintinnids (abundance and species composition) along the MIPOT1 transect. Tintinnid distributions and food vacuole contents are discussed in relation to chlorophyll concentrations and contribution of phytoplankton size classes. Generally, chlorophyll concentrations were well below 0.5 mg m^?3 and tintinnid numbers were only a few tens per liter. Eighty-six tintinnid species belonging to 27 genera were recorded. Highest diversity and number of tintinnid species occurred in the warm-water regions, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Tropic of Capricorn. Shannon diversity index ranged from 1.0 (Tasman Sea) up to 2.9 (tropical Indian Ocean). Each of the oceanic provinces showed a well defined tintinnid assemblage, a tintinnid ‘fingerprint’ characterizing each area. Data are compared to previous records for the different areas and the persistence in time of typical tintinnid species is discussed.     

Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. (Cnidaria,Anthozoa, Scleractinia), a new species of reef coral from the Red Sea

A new scleractinian coral species, Cyphastrea kausti sp. n., is described from 13 specimens from the Red Sea. It is characterised by the presence of eight primary septa, unlike the other species of the genus, which have six, ten or 12 primary septa. The new species has morphological affinities with Cyphastrea microphthalma, from which it can be distinguished by the lower number of septa (on average eight instead of ten), and smaller calices and corallites. This species was observed in the northern and central Red Sea and appears to be absent from the southern Red Sea.     

Reinterpreting two regime shifts in North Sea plankton communities through the lens of functional traits

Aim

The so-called regime shifts in North Sea plankton communities provide an important historical case study to understand marine regime shifts. Previous studies characterized regime shifts using a variety of community metrics (e.g., indicator species abundances, taxonomic composition and chlorophyll biomass) but left the functional traits of plankton unassessed. Here, we explicitly re-assess the historically recognized North Sea regime shifts through the lens of plankton functional traits to gain a better understanding of these events.

Location

The North Sea (NW European shelf).

Time period

1958–2018, focusing on the 1980s and 1996–2003 regime shifts.

Major taxa studied

Marine phyto- and zooplankton.

Methods

We compute trait spaces for both phyto- and zooplankton of the North Sea using traits from the literature and a Gower's distance-based method. Using abundance data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey, we then compute monthly time series of the centroids of the communities, an indicator of functional composition. We then use principal component analysis on the centroids to assess the main temporal changes in plankton functional composition associated with the 1980s and 1996–2003 regime shifts.

Results

Little change in plankton functional composition was associated with the 1980s regime shift. In contrast, the functional composition of plankton communities changed markedly after the 1996–2003 regime shift, with an increase in the summer relative abundance of non-motile autotrophs (i.e., diatoms) and the spring relative abundance of meroplankton.

Main conclusions

The North Sea regime shifts were not associated systematically with changes in functional composition, calling into question the definition of regime shifts and illustrating the importance of taking different metrics into account to interpret ecological events accurately. Taking into account functional composition, we interpret the 1980s so-called regime shift as a latitudinal shift in communities that was insufficient to impact functional composition and the 1996–2003 so-called regime shift as a period of change in bentho-pelagic coupling.     

Is the mass emergence of Themisto libellula in the northern Bering Sea an invasion or a bloom?

The mass occurrence of the large hyperiid Themisto libellula was recorded in both the western and the eastern Bering Sea within 2007–2011. Those were the years of a relatively long 6-year period of cold, which was caused mainly by the inflow of cold waters from the north; this is confirmed by the distribution of bottom and surface temperatures and also by the ice-cover values. This hyperiid became dominant in the diet of salmon, walleye pollock, herring, and several other nekton fish species. T. libellula periodically spreads southward with cold northern waters, finding favorable conditions in “new” areas. Being a rapidly growing species with a short life cycle, within 1 or 2 years it reaches a high abundance, which then gradually declines and remains at a mean or low level, as usually occurs with species that were introduced into a new habitat. After the environmental conditions deteriorate, as a “warm” period arrives with changes in the general circulation and a growing inflow of warmed Pacific waters, the southern boundary of the species range moves back far northward and it completely disappears in the areas where it prevailed in the plankton and was a main forage item in the diet of many fish species. Taking into account the durations of warm and cold periods from 1980 until 2010, an event like this in the Bering Sea can be expected within 1 or 2 years. In the eastern Bering Sea, the abundance and dominance of a number of zooplankton species may vary simultaneously. This effect is more pronounced in T. libellula and for this reason the species is considered as a biological indicator of the described climatic changes in the Bering Sea.     

Distribution of Roseobacter RCA and SAR11 lineages in the North Sea and characteristics of an abundant RCA isolate

The Roseobacter group and SAR11 clade constitute high proportions of the marine bacterioplankton, but only scarce information exists on the abundance of distinct populations of either lineage. Therefore, we quantified the abundance of the largest cluster of the Roseobacter group, the RCA (Roseobacter clade affiliated) cluster together with the SAR11 clade by quantitative PCR in the southern and eastern North Sea. The RCA cluster constituted up to 15 and 21% of total bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes in September 2005 and May 2006, respectively. At a few stations, the RCA cluster exceeded the SAR11 clade, whereas at most stations, SAR11 constituted higher fractions with maxima of 37%. In most samples, only one RCA ribotype was detected. RCA abundance was positively correlated with phaeopigments, chlorophyll, dissolved and particulate organic carbon (POC), turnover rates of dissolved free amino acids (DFAAs), temperature, and negatively correlated with salinity. The SAR11 clade was only correlated with POC (negatively, May) and with DFAA turnover rates (positively, September). An abundant RCA strain, ‘Candidatus Planktomarina temperata'', was isolated from the southern North Sea. This strain has an identical 16S rRNA gene sequence to the dominant RCA ribotype. Detection of the pufM gene, coding for a subunit of the reaction center of bacteriochlorophyll a, indicates the potential of the isolate for aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis. Our study shows that a distinct population of the RCA cluster constitutes an abundant bacterioplankton group in a neritic sea of the temperate zone and indicates that this population has an important role during decaying phytoplankton blooms.     

Increasing prevalence of the marine cladoceran Penilia avirostris (Dana, 1852) in the North Sea

Rising sea surface temperatures in the North Sea have had consequential effects on not only indigenous plankton species, but also on the possibility of successful colonisation of the area by invasive plankton species. Previous studies have noted the introduction and integration into the plankton community of various phytoplankton species, but establishment of zooplankton organisms in the North Sea is less well-documented. Examining continuous plankton recorder (CPR) survey data and zooplankton results from the Helgoland Roads study, the autumn of 1999 witnessed the occurrence of the marine cladoceran Penilia avirostris in large numbers in the North Sea. The rapid appearance of the species corresponded with exceptionally warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs). Since 1999, the species has become a regular feature of the autumnal zooplankton community of the North Sea. In 2002 and 2003, the species occurred in greater abundance than recorded before. It is suggested that increased autumn SSTs have proved favourable to P. avirostris, with warmer conditions contributing to the success of the species resting eggs and aiding colonisation.Communicated by H.-D. Franke     

Pelagic larvae of the bivalves of Ussuriysky Bay, Sea of Japan

Based on materials of plankton surveying carried out in May–October 2008, the species composition, distribution, and density of pelagic larvae of bivalves of the Ussuriysky Bay (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan) were studied. Larvae of 66 taxa were revealed and identified. The Bivalvia larvae occurred in the plankton during the entire period of study. Two areas, the inner and open part of the bay, which vary in the composition, concentration, and terms of larva occurrence in the plankton were distinguished. The larvae of Mytilus coruscus, Mactra chinensis, Modiolus kurilensis, Ruditapes philippinarum, Mya uzenensis and Teredo navalis were the most numerous and widespread. It was shown that despite high taxonomic diversity, the density of Bivalvia larvae in the Ussuriysky Bay was an order of magnitude lower, even in terms of their maximum number, than in other studied areas of the Peter the Great Bay.     

Optimum Temperatures for Common Zooplankton Species in the White Sea

The optimum temperatures for common zooplankton species were calculated using the materials of long-term observations carried out in the White Sea by the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences. For the calculations an original method was used to calculate the temperatures corresponding to the greatest density of plankton species (density-weighted). Two complexes of species have been distinguished comprising warm-water and cold-water species, respectively. Some differences in seasonal dynamics have been revealed between these two groups of species.     

Synergistic Effects of Climate and Fishing in a Marine Ecosystem

Current climate change and overfishing are affecting the productivity and structure of marine ecosystems. This situation is unprecedented for the marine biosphere and it is essential to understand the mechanisms and pathways by which ecosystems respond. We report that climate change and overfishing are likely to be responsible for a rapid restructuring of a highly productive marine ecosystem with effects throughout the pelagos and the benthos. In the mid-1980s, climate change, consequent modifications in the North Sea plankton, and fishing, all reduced North Sea cod recruitment. In this region, production of many benthic species respond positively and immediately to temperature. Analysis of a long-term, spatially extensive biological (plankton and cod) and physical (sea surface temperature) dataset suggests that synchronous changes in cod numbers and sea temperature have established an extensive trophic cascade favoring lower trophic level groups over economic fisheries. A proliferation of jellyfish that we detect may signal the climax of these changes. This modified North Sea ecology may provide a clear indication of the synergistic consequences of coincident climate change and overfishing. The extent of the ecosystem restructuring that has occurred in the North Sea suggests we are unlikely to reverse current climate and human-induced effects through ecosystem resource management in the short term. Rather, we should understand and adapt to new ecological regimes. This implies that fisheries management policies will have to be fully integrated with the ecological consequences of climate change to prevent a similar collapse in an exploited marine ecosystem elsewhere. Author Contributions  RRK conceived the project and GB analysed the data. RRK, GB and JAL co-wrote the paper.