Functional response metrics explain and predict high but differing ecological impacts of juvenile and adult lionfish.

Recent accumulation of evidence across taxa indicates that the ecological impacts of invasive alien species are predictable from their functional response (FR; e.g. the maximum feeding rate) and functional response ratio (FRR; the FR attack rate divided by handling time).

Temporal patterns of fucoxanthin in four species of European marine brown macroalgae.

Brown seaweeds are a rich source of carotenoids, particularly fucoxanthin, which has a wide range of potential health applications. Fucoxanthin fluctuates within and among seaweeds over time, frustrating efforts to utilise this resource. Thus, we require comprehensive analyses of long- and short-term concentrations across species in field conditions.

Clarification of the taxonomic status of (Brown, 1827) with new data for the North-East Atlantic (Polyplacophora, Acanthochitonidae).

Background: The genus can be easily distinguished from other chitons by having eighteen tufts of bristles on the dorsal side of the densely spiculose girdle. In the North-East Atlantic, five species of this genus have been recognised so far: (Pennant, 1777), (Brown, 1827), (Linnaeus, 1767), Leloup, 1968 and Schmidt-Petersen, Schwabe et Haszprunar, 2015. The nomenclature of , and was confused for a very long time until Kaas (1985) designated type specimens for them and provided a brief key.

Phylomitogenomics bolsters the high-level classification of Demospongiae (phylum Porifera).

Class Demospongiae is the largest in the phylum Porifera (Sponges) and encompasses nearly 8,000 accepted species in three subclasses: Keratosa, Verongimorpha, and Heteroscleromorpha. Subclass Heteroscleromorpha contains ∼90% of demosponge species and is subdivided into 17 orders. The higher level classification of demosponges underwent major revision as the result of nearly three decades of molecular studies.

Occurrence and sources of microplastics on Arctic beaches: Svalbard.

Plastic pollution is recognised as a major global environmental concern, especially within marine environments. The small size of microplastics (< 5 mm) make them readily available for ingestion by organisms in all trophic levels. Here, four beach sites in Adventfjorden on the west coast of Svalbard, were sampled with the aim of investigating the occurrence and abundance of microplastics on beaches to assess potential sources of microplastic pollution.

Short-Term Microplastic Exposure Impairs Cognition in Hermit Crabs.

We tested whether acute microplastic exposure impacts information gathering and processing (cognition) in hermit crabs (). For five days, we kept 51 hermit crabs in tanks containing either polyethylene microspheres ( = 27) or no plastic ( = 24). We then transferred individuals into an intermediate-quality shell and presented them with two vials containing either a better or worse shell.

Phylogenomic analysis of pseudocryptic diversity reveals the new genus Deltalsia (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta).

Molecular analyses, in combination with morphological studies, provide invaluable tools for delineating red algal taxa. However, molecular datasets are incomplete and taxonomic revisions are often required once additional species or populations are sequenced. The small red alga Conferva parasitica was described from the British Isles in 1762 and then reported from other parts of Europe.

Abiotic and biotic correlates of the occurrence, extent and cover of invasive aquatic .

Biological invasions, especially invasive alien aquatic plants, are a major and growing ecological and socioeconomic problem worldwide. Freshwater systems are particularly vulnerable to invasion, where impacts of invasive alien species can damage ecological structure and function. Identifying abiotic and biotic factors that mediate successful invasions is a management priority.

Assessing the extinction risk of insular, understudied marine species.

Hydrothermal vents are rare deep-sea oases that house faunal assemblages with a similar density of life as coral reefs. Only approximately 600 of these hotspots are known worldwide, most only one-third of a football field in size. With advancing development of the deep-sea mining industry, there is an urgent need to protect these unique, insular ecosystems and their specialist endemic faunas.

Animal contests and microplastics: evidence of disrupted behaviour in hermit crabs .

Microplastics are ubiquitous in global marine systems and may have negative impacts on a vast range of species. Recently, microplastics were shown to impair shell selection assessments in hermit crabs, an essential behaviour for their survival. Hermit crabs also engage in 'rapping' contests over shells, based on cognitive assessments of shell quality and opponent fighting ability and, hence, are a useful model species for examining the effects of microplastics on fitness-relevant behaviour in marine systems.

Marine heat waves differentially affect functioning of native (Ostrea edulis) and invasive (Crassostrea [Magallana] gigas) oysters in tidal pools.

The frequency and duration of short-term extreme climatic events, such as marine heat waves (MHWs), are increasing worldwide. The rapid onset of MHWs can lead to short-term stress responses in organisms that may have lethal or sub-lethal effects. In addition, increased temperature variability and extremes are predicted to favour and facilitate the spread of non-native species, altering rates of key ecosystem processes and functions.

Vulnerability of Temperate Mesophotic Ecosystems (TMEs) to environmental impacts: Rapid ecosystem changes at Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve, Ireland.

Temperate Mesophotic Ecosystems (TMEs) are stable habitats, usually dominated by slow-growing, long-lived sessile invertebrates and sciaphilous algae. Organisms inhabiting TMEs can form complex three-dimensional structures and support many commercially important species. However, TMEs have been poorly studied, with little known about their vulnerability to environmental impacts.

Evidence of egg-laying grounds for critically endangered flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius) off Orkney, UK.

Essential fish habitats (EFHs) are critical for fish life-history events, including spawning, breeding, feeding or growth. This study provides evidence of EFHs for the critically endangered flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius) in the waters around the Orkney Isles, Scotland, based on citizen-science observation data. The habitats of potential egg-laying sites were parametrised as >20 m depth, with boulders or exposed bedrock, in moderate current flow (0.

Seagrass-driven changes in carbonate chemistry enhance oyster shell growth.

Quantifying the strength of non-trophic interactions exerted by foundation species is critical to understanding how natural communities respond to environmental stress. In the case of ocean acidification (OA), submerged marine macrophytes, such as seagrasses, may create local areas of elevated pH due to their capacity to sequester dissolved inorganic carbon through photosynthesis. However, although seagrasses may increase seawater pH during the day, they can also decrease pH at night due to respiration.

The stress and strain of life - how differences in the mechanical properties and cellular composition enable the kelp Laminaria digitata to thrive in different hydrodynamic environments.

Sessile organisms such as macroalgae located in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones are subject to a hydrodynamically diverse environment, controlling the variation of intraspecific morphology and distribution. Kelp forests experience both waves and/or currents, yet, how kelp blade material mechanically differs between these various hydrodynamic environments and what drives the variation in strength and extensibility are not fully understood. Here, the mechanical properties, cellular composition and blade tissue thickness of the meristematic region and distal tips of the kelp Laminaria digitata blades were quantified and compared between seasons and among three hydrodynamic environments: wave dominated, current dominated and a benign hydrodynamic environment.

High Abundances of Microplastic Pollution in Deep-Sea Sediments: Evidence from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.

Plastic pollution in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean has been recorded in scientific literature since the 1980s; however, the presence of microplastic particles (<5 mm) is less understood. Here, we aimed to determine whether microplastic accumulation would vary among Antarctic and Southern Ocean regions through studying 30 deep-sea sediment cores. Additionally, we aimed to highlight whether microplastic accumulation was related to sample depth or the sediment characteristics within each core.

Demosponges from the sublittoral and shallow-circalittoral (lt;24m depth) Antarctic Peninsula with a description of four new species and notes on br />in situ identification characteristics.

Specimens were collected by SCUBA diving from 22 sites along the Antarctic Peninsula, spanning latitudes from Diomedea Island (62°12.185'S) to Jenny Island (67°43.325'S).

Influence of waves and currents on the growth rate of the kelp Laminaria digitata (Phaeophyceae).

The kelp Laminaria digitata growing in the low intertidal region along energetic coastlines are exposed to a range of hydrodynamic environments. Macroalgae in the intertidal zone can experience both waves and currents independently, but it is unknown how they influence growth rate. Relative growth rate of the meristematic region and the entire blade of L.

Serendipitous re-sighting of a basking shark Cetorhinus maximus reveals inter-annual connectivity between American and European coastal hotspots.

Transatlantic stock mixing in basking sharks Cetorhinus maximus is supported by low genetic diversity in populations throughout the Atlantic Ocean. However, despite significant focus on the species' movements; >1500 individual sharks marked for recapture and >150 individuals equipped with remote tracking tags, only a single record of transatlantic movment has been previously recorded. Within this context, the seredipitous re-sighting of a female basking shark fitted with a satellite transmitter at Malin Head, Ireland 993 days later at Cape Cod, USA is noteworthy.