Archives of cyanobacterial traits: insights from resurrected from Baltic Sea sediments reveal a shift in temperature optima.

Cyanobacterial blooms in the Baltic Sea proliferated in recent decades due to rising sea surface temperatures, resulting in significant ecological impacts. To elucidate their current success, we examined ecophysiological, biochemical, and morphological traits of recent and ~33-year-old strains of using a resurrection approach. The ability of many cyanobacteria to form dormant stages that can persist in anoxic sediments for decades provides a unique opportunity to study adaptive traits to past environmental conditions.

Extreme erosion and bulking in a giant submarine gravity flow.

Sediment gravity flows are ubiquitous agents of transport, erosion, and deposition across Earth's surface, including terrestrial debris flows, snow avalanches, and submarine turbidity currents. Sediment gravity flows typically erode material along their path (bulking), which can dramatically increase their size, speed, and run-out distance. Hence, flow bulking is a first-order control on flow evolution and underpins predictive modeling approaches and geohazard assessments.

Population genomic analyses reveal that salinity and geographic isolation drive diversification in a free-living protist.

Protists make up the vast diversity of eukaryotic life and play a critical role in biogeochemical cycling and in food webs. Because of their small size, cryptic life cycles, and large population sizes, our understanding of speciation in these organisms is very limited. We performed population genomic analyses on 153 strains isolated from eight populations of the recently radiated dinoflagellate genus Apocalathium, to explore the drivers and mechanisms of speciation processes.

Trophic lengthening triggered by filamentous, N-fixing cyanobacteria disrupts pelagic but not benthic food webs in a large estuarine ecosystem.

Eutrophication, increased temperatures and stratification can lead to massive, filamentous, N-fixing cyanobacterial (FNC) blooms in coastal ecosystems with largely unresolved consequences for the mass and energy supply in food webs. Mesozooplankton adapt to not top-down controlled FNC blooms by switching diets from phytoplankton to microzooplankton, resulting in a directly quantifiable increase in its trophic position (TP) from 2.0 to as high as 3.

The new chytridiomycete Paradinomyces triforaminorum gen. et sp. nov. co-occurs with other parasitoids during a Kryptoperidinium foliaceum (Dinophyceae) bloom in the Baltic Sea.

A new chytrid genus and species was isolated and cultured from samples obtained in the Baltic Sea during a dinoflagellate bloom event. This species is characterized by having a spherical sporangium without papillae and zoospores of 2-3 µm in diameter that are released through 3 discharge pores. Molecular phylogeny based on ribosomal operon showed its sister position to the Dinomyces cluster in Rhizophydiales.

Status and challenges for sustainable billfish fisheries in the Western Indian Ocean.

Unlabelled: Billfish species (families Istiophoridae and Xiphiidae) are caught in artisanal, recreational, and commercial fisheries throughout the Western Indian Ocean region. However, data and information on the interactions among these fisheries and the ecology of billfish in the WIO are not well understood. Using an in-depth analysis of peer-reviewed articles, grey literature, observation studies, and authors' insider knowledge, we summarize the current state of knowledge on billfish fisheries in 10 countries.

Cross-Hemisphere Study Reveals Geographically Ubiquitous, Plastic-Specific Bacteria Emerging from the Rare and Unexplored Biosphere.

While it is now appreciated that the millions of tons of plastic pollution travelling through marine systems carry complex communities of microorganisms, it is still unknown to what extent these biofilm communities are specific to the plastic or selected by the surrounding ecosystem. To address this, we characterized and compared the microbial communities of microplastic particles, nonplastic (natural and wax) particles, and the surrounding waters from three marine ecosystems (the Baltic, Sargasso and Mediterranean seas) using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that biofilm communities on microplastic and nonplastic particles were highly similar to one another across this broad geographical range.

Colonization Is Highly Dynamic in Early Microplastic-Associated Biofilms as Well as on Field-Collected Microplastics.

Microplastics are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems and provide a habitat for biofilm-forming bacteria. The genus , which includes potential pathogens, was detected irregularly on microplastics. Since then, the potential of microplastics to enrich (and serve as a vector for) has been widely discussed.

Methodological aspects of methylphosphonic acid analysis: Determination in river and coastal water samples.

Methylphosphonic acid (MPn) is suspected to play an important role in aquatic systems like rivers or the open ocean. To gain more insights into the importance of MPn, e.g.

Metabolism and foraging strategies of mid-latitude mesozooplankton during cyanobacterial blooms as revealed by fatty acids, amino acids, and their stable carbon isotopes.

Increasing sea surface temperatures (SST) and blooms of lipid-poor, filamentous cyanobacteria can change mesozooplankton metabolism and foraging strategies in marine systems. Lipid shortage and imbalanced diet may challenge the build-up of energy pools of lipids and proteins, and access to essential fatty acids (FAs) and amino acids (AAs) by copepods. The impact of cyanobacterial blooms on individual energy pools was assessed for key species temperate and boreal spp.

The tropical-subtropical coupling in the Southeast Atlantic from the perspective of the northern Benguela upwelling system.

In the Benguela upwelling system, the environmental conditions are determined to a large extent by central water masses advected from remote areas onto the shelf. The origin, spreading pathways and fate of those water masses are investigated with a regional ocean model that is analysed using Eulerian passive tracers and on the basis of Lagrangian trajectories. Two major water masses influencing the Benguela upwelling system are identified: tropical South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) and subtropical Eastern South Atlantic Central Water (ESACW).

Stratification, nitrogen fixation, and cyanobacterial bloom stage regulate the planktonic food web structure.

Changes in the complexity of planktonic food webs may be expected in future aquatic systems due to increases in sea surface temperature and an enhanced stratification of the water column. Under these conditions, the growth of unpalatable, filamentous, N -fixing cyanobacterial blooms, and their effect on planktonic food webs will become increasingly important. The planktonic food web structure in aquatic ecosystems at times of filamentous cyanobacterial blooms is currently unresolved, with discordant lines of evidence suggesting that herbivores dominate the mesozooplankton or that mesozooplankton organisms are mainly carnivorous.

Mixotrophy in Chlorophytes and Haptophytes-Effect of Irradiance, Macronutrient, Micronutrient and Vitamin Limitation.

Chlorophytes and haptophytes are key contributors to global phytoplankton biomass and productivity. Mixotrophic bacterivory has been detected for both groups, but a shortage of studies with cultured representatives hinders a consistent picture of the ecological relevance and regulation of this trophic strategy. Here, the growth, primary production, fraction of feeding cells (acidotropic probes) and bacterivory rates (surrogate prey) are tested for two species of the chlorophyte genus and the haptophyte under contrasting regimes of light (high vs.

Using standard additions to improve extraction and quantification of inositol hexakisphosphate in sediment samples by ion chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Several key aspects for the analysis of inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP) have been investigated in order to establish a suitable method for the study of sediment samples from different aquatic systems. Apparent matrix effects for the ion chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection (IC-ESI-MS/MS) method were accounted for with a standard addition approach, which also compensated for variation in extraction efficiency. Several parameters of the extraction method were optimized to improve the extraction efficiency for different sediment types.

Environmental Factors Support the Formation of Specific Bacterial Assemblages on Microplastics.

While the global distribution of microplastics (MP) in the marine environment is currently being critically evaluated, the potential role of MP as a vector for distinct microbial assemblages or even pathogenic bacteria is hardly understood. To gain a deeper understanding, we investigated how different conditions contribute to the composition and specificity of MP-associated bacterial communities in relation to communities on natural particles. Polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), and wooden pellets were incubated for 2 weeks along an environmental gradient, ranging from marine (coastal Baltic Sea) to freshwater (waste water treatment plant, WWTP) conditions.

Fate and stability of polyamide-associated bacterial assemblages after their passage through the digestive tract of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis.

We examined whether bacterial assemblages inhabiting the synthetic polymer polyamide are selectively modified during their passage through the gut of Mytilus edulis in comparison to the biopolymer chitin with focus on potential pathogens. Specifically, we asked whether bacterial biofilms remained stable over a prolonged period of time and whether polyamide could thus serve as a vector for potential pathogenic bacteria. Bacterial diversity and identity were analysed by 16S rRNA gene fingerprints and sequencing of abundant bands.

Hexachlorocyclohexane - Long term variability and spatial distribution in the Baltic Sea.

In response to the HELCOM commitment the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemuende conducts a monitoring program on listed substances of concern for the Baltic Sea environment which comprises the isomers of technical hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). After World War II the HCH compounds were applied globally in huge amounts as insecticidal formulation in which only γ-HCH is the effective agent. Monitoring was conducted in water samples from a large Baltic Sea area.

The influence of salt matrices on the reversed-phase liquid chromatography behavior and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry detection of glyphosate, glufosinate, aminomethylphosphonic acid and 2-aminoethylphosphonic acid in water.

The analysis of highly polar and amphoteric compounds in seawater is a continuing challenge in analytical chemistry due to the possible formation of complexes with the metal cations present in salt-based matrices. Here we provide information for the development of analytical methods for glyphosate, glufosinate, AMPA, and 2-AEP in salt water, based on studies of the effects of salt matrices on reversed-phase liquid chromatography-heated electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (RP-LC-HESI-MS/MS) after derivatization of the target compounds with FMOC-Cl. The results showed that glyphosate was the only analyte with a strong tendency to form glyphosate-metal complexes (GMC), which clearly influenced the analysis.

Methods comparison, transport and distribution of polar herbicides in the Baltic Sea.

Two LC-MS/MS methods including different sample preparation and quantitative processes showed a good agreement for analysis of the herbicides MCPA, mecoprop, isoproturon, bentazon and chloridazon, and the metabolite chloridazon-methyl-desphenyl (CMD) in estuarine waters. Due to different sensitivity of the methods only one could be used to analyze marine samples. The transport of these compounds to the Baltic Sea via ten German estuaries and their distribution between coastal water and sediments was studied.

Sinking rates of microplastics and potential implications of their alteration by physical, biological, and chemical factors.

To follow the pathways of microplastics in aquatic environments, profound knowledge about the behaviour of microplastics is necessary. Therefore, sinking experiments were conducted with diverse polymer particles using fluids with different salinity. Particles ranged from 0.

Oxidation of Molecular Hydrogen by a Chemolithoautotrophic Beggiatoa Strain.

Unlabelled: A chemolithoautotrophic strain of the family Beggiatoaceae, Beggiatoa sp. strain 35Flor, was found to oxidize molecular hydrogen when grown in a medium with diffusional gradients of oxygen, sulfide, and hydrogen. Microsensor profiles and rate measurements suggested that the strain oxidized hydrogen aerobically when oxygen was available, while hydrogen consumption under anoxic conditions was presumably driven by sulfur respiration.

Glyphosate and AMPA in the estuaries of the Baltic Sea method optimization and field study.

Water samples from ten German Baltic estuaries were collected in 2012 in order to study the presence of the herbicide glyphosate, its primary metabolite AMPA and their potential transport to the marine environment. For the analyses an LC-MS/MS based analytical method after derivatization with FMOC-Cl was optimized and validated for marine water samples. All investigated estuarine stations were contaminated with AMPA and nine of them also with glyphosate.

Exo-metabolome of Pseudovibrio sp. FO-BEG1 analyzed by ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry and the effect of phosphate limitation.

Oceanic dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an assemblage of reduced carbon compounds, which results from biotic and abiotic processes. The biotic processes consist in either release or uptake of specific molecules by marine organisms. Heterotrophic bacteria have been mostly considered to influence the DOM composition by preferential uptake of certain compounds.

Pyruvate utilization by a chemolithoautotrophic epsilonproteobacterial key player of pelagic Baltic Sea redoxclines.

Pelagic redoxclines of the central Baltic Sea are dominated by the epsilonproteobacterial group Sulfurimonas GD17, considered to be the major driver of chemolithoautotrophic denitrification in this habitat. Autecological investigations of a recently isolated representative of this environmental group, Sulfurimonas gotlandica str. GD1(T), demonstrated that the bacterium grows best under sulfur-oxidizing, denitrifying conditions.