Coordinated gas release among the physostomous fish sprat (Sprattus sprattus).

Previous experimental studies suggest that the production of sound associated with expelling gas from an open swimbladder may play a role in communication. This would suggest non-random gas release. We used deployed echosounders to study patterns of gas release among a fjord population of sprat (Sprattus sprattus).

A high-profile thread with grit-blasted and acid-etched surface reduces loosening of medial column fusion bolt in instable Charcot foot.

Background: Intramedullary fusion bolts (FB) were introduced to stabilize the medial column of the instable Charcot foot (ICF), but complications as bolt loosening or breakage are frequent. We compared the use of a standard FB and a high-profile threaded FB with a grit-blasted surface. We hypothesized that implant related complications occurred less often and osseous consolidation of fusion sites was more distinctive using the latter type of FB.

An approach based on the total-species accumulation curve and higher taxon richness to estimate realistic upper limits in regional species richness.

Most of accumulation curves tend to underestimate species richness, as they do not consider spatial heterogeneity in species distribution, or are structured to provide lower bound estimates and limited extrapolations. The total-species (T-S) curve allows extrapolations over large areas while taking into account spatial heterogeneity, making this estimator more prone to attempt upper bound estimates of regional species richness. However, the T-S curve may overestimate species richness due to (1) the mismatch among the spatial units used in the accumulation model and the actual units of variation in β-diversity across the region, (2) small-scale patchiness, and/or (3) patterns of rarity of species.

Social behaviour in mesopelagic jellyfish.

Gelatinous organisms apparently play a central role in deep pelagic ecosystems, but lack of observational methodologies has restricted information on their behaviour. We made acoustic records of diel migrating jellyfish Periphylla periphylla forming small, ephemeral groups at the upper fringe of an acoustic scattering layer consisting of krill. Groups of P.

Changes in the root-associated fungal communities along a primary succession gradient analysed by 454 pyrosequencing.

We investigated changes in the root-associated fungal communities associated with the ectomycorrhizal herb Bistorta vivipara along a primary succession gradient using 454 amplicon sequencing. Our main objective was to assess the degree of variation in fungal richness and community composition as vegetation cover increases along the chronosequence. Sixty root systems of B.

High diversity of root associated fungi in both alpine and arctic Dryas octopetala.

Background: Dryas octopetala is a widespread dwarf shrub in alpine and arctic regions that forms ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiotic relationships with fungi. In this study we investigated the fungal communities associated with roots of D. octopetala in alpine sites in Norway and in the High Arctic on Svalbard, where we aimed to reveal whether the fungal diversity and species composition varied across the Alpine and Arctic regions.

Species abundance distributions: moving beyond single prediction theories to integration within an ecological framework.

Species abundance distributions (SADs) follow one of ecology's oldest and most universal laws--every community shows a hollow curve or hyperbolic shape on a histogram with many rare species and just a few common species. Here, we review theoretical, empirical and statistical developments in the study of SADs. Several key points emerge.

Predicting the effects of habitat homogenization on marine biodiversity.

Seafloor habitats throughout the world's oceans are being homogenized by physical disturbance. Even though seafloor sediments are commonly considered to be simple and unstructured ecosystems, the negative impacts of habitat homogenization are widespread because resident organisms create much of their habitat's structure. We combine the insight gained from remote sensing of seafloor habitats with recently developed analytical techniques to estimate species richness and assess the potential for change with habitat homogenization.

On plotting species abundance distributions.

1. There has been a revival of interest in species abundance distribution (SAD) models, stimulated by the claim that the log-normal distribution gave an underestimate of the observed numbers of rare species in species-rich assemblages. This led to the development of the neutral Zero Sum Multinomial distribution (ZSM) to better fit the observed data.

Geographic variation and acoustic structure of the underwater vocalization of harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) in Norway, Sweden and Scotland.

The male harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) produces broadband nonharmonic vocalizations underwater during the breeding season. In total, 120 vocalizations from six colonies were analyzed to provide a description of the acoustic structure and for the presence of geographic variation. The complex harbor seal vocalizations may be described by how the frequency bandwidth varies over time.

Growth, fecundity and sex ratio of adult whaleworm (Anisakis simplex; Nematoda, Ascaridoidea, Anisakidae) in three whale species from the North-East Atlantic.

The growth rate, fecundity, and sex ratio of Anisakis simplex in minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) was studied on the basis of material from the North Atlantic. A total of 8,135 mature A. simplex were collected from 24 minke whales, 11 porpoises and eight pilot whales.

Influence of trophic position on organochlorine concentrations and compositional patterns in a marine food web.

The accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDTs (p,p'-DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane], o,p'-DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2-(2-chlorophenyl)-2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethane], p,p'-DDD [1,1,-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane], o.p'-DDD [1,1-dichloro-2-(2-chlorophenyl)-2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethane], and p,p'-DDE [1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethene]), chlordanes (trans-chlordane, cis-chlordane, trans-nonachlor, cis-nonachlor and oxychlordane), hexachlorocyclohexanes (alpha-, beta-, and gamma-isomers), hexachlorobenzene, and mirex was investigated in a marine food web from southeastern Norway. The food web consisted of the polychaete Nereis diversicolor, lesser sandeel (Ammodytes tobianus), three species of gobys (Gobiusculus flavescens, Pomatoschistus sp.

Factors influencing activities of biotransformation enzymes, concentrations and compositional patterns of organochlorine contaminants in members of a marine food web.

The accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs; 34 congeners), sigmaDDT (p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, o,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDE), chlordanes (sigmaCHL; trans-chlordane, cis-chlordane, trans-nonachlor, cis-nonachlor and oxychlordane), hexachlorocyclohexanes (sigmaHCH; alpha-, beta- and gamma-isomers), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and mirex was investigated in members of a marine food web from the Hvaler and Torbjørnskaer archipelago, south-eastern Norway. The species studied were bullrout (Myoxocephalus scorpius), cod (Gadus morhua), herring gull (Larus argentatus) and harbour seal (Phoca vitulina). Furthermore, hepatic biotransformation enzyme activities (ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), pentoxyresorufin-O-depentylase (PROD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST)) were measured in all species.