Haemoglobin revisited: delineating population structure with the world's first molecular genetic marker used in fisheries research.

When haemoglobin genotyping was implemented in the early 1960s to investigate population genetic structure in Atlantic cod (), it became one of the first molecular genetic markers deployed in fisheries research worldwide. However, its suitability was questioned due to its potential for selection. While the issue of neutrality concerned the first population geneticists, markers under selection are now routinely used to study population genetic structure.

Methane emissions from the Nord Stream subsea pipeline leaks.

The amount of methane released to the atmosphere from the Nord Stream subsea pipeline leaks remains uncertain, as reflected in a wide range of estimates. A lack of information regarding the temporal variation in atmospheric emissions has made it challenging to reconcile pipeline volumetric (bottom-up) estimates with measurement-based (top-down) estimates. Here we simulate pipeline rupture emission rates and integrate these with methane dissolution and sea-surface outgassing estimates to model the evolution of atmospheric emissions from the leaks.

Illuminating the multidimensional contributions of small-scale fisheries.

Sustainable development aspires to "leave no one behind". Even so, limited attention has been paid to small-scale fisheries (SSF) and their importance in eradicating poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Through a collaborative and multidimensional data-driven approach, we have estimated that SSF provide at least 40% (37.

Pervasive glacier retreats across Svalbard from 1985 to 2023.

A major uncertainty in predicting the behaviour of marine-terminating glaciers is ice dynamics driven by non-linear calving front retreat, which is poorly understood and modelled. Using 124919 calving front positions for 149 marine-terminating glaciers in Svalbard from 1985 to 2023, generated with deep learning, we identify pervasive calving front retreats for non-surging glaciers over the past 38 years. We observe widespread seasonal cycles in calving front position for over half of the glaciers.

How resistant is anammox biofilm against antibiotics: A special insight into anammox response towards fluoroquinolones.

Elevated concentrations of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in the water bodies are posing a serious threat to the aquatic microbiota and other organisms. In this context, anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria carry a great potential to degrade PhACs through their innate metabolic pathways. This study investigates the influence of short-term exposure to lower and higher concentrations (0.

Potential plant extinctions with the loss of the Pleistocene mammoth steppe.

During the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, the dominant mammoth steppe ecosystem across northern Eurasia vanished, in parallel with megafauna extinctions. However, plant extinction patterns are rarely detected due to lack of identifiable fossil records. Here, we introduce a method for detection of plant taxa loss at regional (extirpation) to potentially global scale (extinction) and their causes, as determined from ancient plant DNA metabarcoding in sediment cores (sedaDNA) from lakes in Siberia and Alaska over the past 28,000 years.

Sea urchin intestinal bacterial communities depend on seaweed diet and contain nitrogen-fixing symbionts.

Kelp deforestation by sea urchin grazing is a widespread phenomenon globally, with vast consequences for coastal ecosystems. The ability of sea urchins to survive on a kelp diet of poor nutritional quality is not well understood and bacterial communities in the sea urchin intestine may play an important role in digestion. A no-choice feeding experiment was conducted with the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, offering three different seaweeds as diet, including the kelp Saccharina latissima.

Using a citizen science approach to assess nanoplastics pollution in remote high-altitude glaciers.

Nanoplastics are suspected to pollute every environment on Earth, including very remote areas reached via atmospheric transport. We approached the challenge of measuring environmental nanoplastics by combining high-sensitivity TD-PTR-MS (thermal desorption-proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry) with trained mountaineers sampling high-altitude glaciers ("citizen science"). Particles < 1 μm were analysed for common polymers (polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene and tire wear particles), revealing nanoplastic concentrations ranging 2-80 ng mL at five of 14 sites.

Post-testicular spermatozoa of a marine teleost can conduct cytoplasmic and mitochondrial translation.

Translational silence of spermatozoa has long been considered the norm in animals. However, studies in mammals have shown that the mitochondrial ribosomal machinery is selectively activated during capacitation in the female reproductive tract, while cytosolic ribosomes remain inactive. Here, using quantitative proteomics in a piscine model species, we show that proteins involved in mRNA processing and cytoplasmic translation are predominantly accumulated in immature spermatozoa within the extratesticular excurrent ducts, while those related to flagellar motility are enriched in ejaculated (mature) sperm.

Northern Scandinavian mountains supported by a low-grade eclogitic crustal keel.

Plate tectonics predicts that mountain ranges form by tectono-magmatic processes at plate boundaries, but high topography is often observed along passive margins far from any plate boundary. The high topography of the Scandes range at the Atlantic coast of Fennoscandia is traditionally assumed isostatically supported by variation in crustal density and thickness. Here we demonstrate, by our Silverroad seismic profile, that the constantly ~44 km thick crust instead is homogenous above the Moho, and Pn-velocity abruptly change from 7.

Development of SNP for Species Identification With Special Focus on the Cryptic Species Complex of .

The genus in the North Atlantic comprises of long lived deep-waters species that have been extensively fished upon, and many stocks are severely depleted across the Atlantic. This is particularly evident for the species . In recent papers, cryptic species have been indicated within this genus and molecular markers are therefore needed to provide identification for the species, including the cryptic species as a basis for advice regarding management and rebuilding of the stocks.

Population genomics and connectivity of Vazella pourtalesii sponge grounds of the northwest Atlantic with conservation implications of deep sea vulnerable marine ecosystems.

Sponges are key ecosystem engineers that shape, structure and enhance the biodiversity of marine benthic communities globally. Sponge aggregations and reefs are recognized as vulnerable marine ecosystems (or VMEs) due to their susceptibility to damage from bottom-contact fishing gears. Ensuring their long-term sustainability, preservation, and ecosystem functions requires the implementation of sound scientific conservation tools.

Transformative knowledge of polar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons via high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic contaminants with a widespread presence in diverse environmental contexts. Transformation processes of PAHs via degradation and biotransformation have parallels in humans, animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. Mapping the transformation products of PAHs is therefore crucial for assessing their toxicological impact and developing effective monitoring strategies.

One-quarter of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction.

Freshwater ecosystems are highly biodiverse and important for livelihoods and economic development, but are under substantial stress. To date, comprehensive global assessments of extinction risk have not included any speciose groups primarily living in freshwaters. Consequently, data from predominantly terrestrial tetrapods are used to guide environmental policy and conservation prioritization, whereas recent proposals for target setting in freshwaters use abiotic factors.

Patchiness of plankton ecosystem structure due to nutrient mixing along the shelf edge in the North Sea.

Mid-water column turbulence has been shown to cause elevated vertical nutrient flux at the shelf edge in the northeastern North Sea. Here, we demonstrate that phytoplankton communities in this region tend to be dominated by larger cells (estimated from percentage of chlorophyll captured on a 10 μm filter) than beyond the shelf edge. F/F (PSII electron transport capacity) corrected for photoinhibition in the surface layer correlated in this study with the percentage of chlorophyll captured on a 10 µm filter (assumed to be large cells), suggesting that the phytoplankton community was responding to increased nutrients in the euphotic zone by increasing photosynthetic efficiency and altering community composition.

microGalaxy: A gateway to tools, workflows, and training for reproducible and FAIR analysis of microbial data.

Microbial research generates vast and complex data from diverse omics technologies, necessitating innovative analytical solutions. microGalaxy (Galaxy for Microbiology) addresses these needs with a user-friendly platform that integrates >220 tool suites and >65 curated workflows for microbial analyses, including taxonomic profiling, assembly, annotation, and functional analysis. Hosted on the main EU Galaxy server (microgalaxy.

Comparative studies on modeling and optimization of fermentation process conditions for fungal asparaginase production using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques.

The L-asparaginase is commercial enzyme used as chemotherapeutic agent in cancer treatment and food processing agent in backed and fried food industries. In the present research work, the artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques were employed for modeling and optimization of fermentation process conditions for enhanced production of L-asparaginase by submerged fermentation of . The experimental L-asparaginase activity obtained using central composite experiment design was used for optimization.

The Interaction Between Dietary Fat Level, n-3 LC-PUFA, and Zinc on Their Postprandial Absorption Kinetics in Atlantic Salmon ().

Two short-term feeding trials were conducted on , with the interaction between dietary zinc (Zn) and fat level in trial 1 and with the interaction between dietary Zn and n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) in trial 2, focusing on postprandial plasma parameters, intestinal Zn and fat uptake and transport. After 4-week feeding interventions, samples were collected at different postprandial time points, ranging from 0 to 36/38 h after feeding. Results showed that increased Zn level in feed significantly increased the postprandial plasma Zn level in trial 1 (8-9°C).

A global meta-analysis of gillnet bycatch of toothed whales: Mitigation measures and research gaps.

Odontocetes are globally distributed and are foundational to the structure and function of marine food webs, and hence bycatch impacts from gillnet fishing need to be considered in the context of their conservation and population viability. Currently, global gillnet bycatch numbers are unknown yet are estimated to be the greatest in Asia, East Africa, and the west coasts of North and South America. Here we provide the first global meta-analyses of small- and large-scale gillnet bycatch estimates of odontocetes during 1990-2020, compiling population size, estimated gillnet bycatch, and conservation status in support of geographical and species-specific risk estimates.

Evaluating seagrass lipid biomarkers as indicator for organic carbon provenance and storage capacity in Zostera marina (L.) sediments.

Seagrass meadows are vital blue carbon habitats, with sedimentary organic carbon (OC) originating from both the seagrass itself and external sources. In this study, lipid biomarkers (n-alkanes), a well-known proxy for tracing OC sources, were used to indicate seagrass presence in sediment records and to correlate with sedimentary OC in cold-temperate seagrass (Zostera marina) sediments. We calculated a Zostera-ratio (seagrass/algae and terrestrial plants-ratio) using identified seagrass biomass n-alkanes (C, C, C, C, C) as a fingerprint for seagrass-derived OC.

Vitality insights of fish escaping from a sorting grid installed on a bottom trawl net.

Sorting grids to exclude the juveniles of species targeted by bottom trawl fisheries from the catch are among the most promising solutions to reduce discards. We tested a two-sections Juveniles' Sorting Grid (JSG) in a Mediterranean fisheries restricted area. First, we provided information on the vitality of individuals escaping from the JSG bars during towing, by analysing underwater footage.

Conference 2024: Building an innovative scientific research ecosystem for microbiome and One Health.

The Conference 2024 provides a platform to promote the development of an innovative scientific research ecosystem for microbiome and One Health. The four key components - Technology, Research (Biology), Academic journals, and Social media - form a synergistic ecosystem. Advanced technologies drive biological research, which generates novel insights that are disseminated through academic journals.

Night flight facilitates late breeding catch-up in a long-distance migratory seabird.

Long-distance migrants must optimise their timing of breeding to capitalise on resources at both breeding and over-wintering sites. In species with protracted breeding seasons, departing earlier on migration might be advantageous, but is constrained by the ongoing breeding attempt. Here we investigated how breeding timing affects migratory strategies in the Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), a trans-hemispheric migratory seabird with large temporal variation in the onset of breeding.

Recent methane surges reveal heightened emissions from tropical inundated areas.

Record breaking atmospheric methane growth rates were observed in 2020 and 2021 (15.2±0.5 and 17.

Environmental Conditions Modulate Warming Effects on Plant Litter Decomposition Globally.

Empirical studies worldwide show that warming has variable effects on plant litter decomposition, leaving the overall impact of climate change on decomposition uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis of 109 experimental warming studies across seven continents, using natural and standardised plant material, to assess the overarching effect of warming on litter decomposition and identify potential moderating factors. We determined that at least 5.