| 1. |
- Bachmann, L., et al.
(författare)
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The role of systematics for understanding ecosystem functions: Proceedings of the Zoologica Scripta Symposium, Oslo, Norway, 25 August 2022
- 2023
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Ingår i: Zoologica Scripta. - : Wiley. - 0300-3256 .- 1463-6409. ; 52:3, s. 187-214
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- On 25 August 2022, the Zoologica Scripta - An International Journal of Systematic Zoology and the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters arranged a symposium entitled 'The role of systematics for understanding ecosystem functions' in the Academy's premises in Oslo, Norway. The symposium aimed at offering a forum for exploring and discussing trends and future developments in the field of systematics. Eleven international experts contributed expertise on various issues related to global challenges, such as biodiversity assessments, databases, cutting-edge analysis tools, and the consequences of the taxonomic impediment. Here, we compiled a multi-author proceedings paper of the symposium contributions that are arranged in chapters and presents the content and the key conclusions of the majority of the presentations.
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| 2. |
- Morin, Filip, et al.
(författare)
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Hidden aliens: Application of digital PCR to track an exotic foraminifer across the Skagerrak (North Sea) correlates well with traditional morphospecies analysis. : APPLYING DPCR TO TRACK AN EXOTIC FORAMINIFER
- 2023
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Ingår i: Environmental Microbiology. - 1462-2912 .- 1462-2920. ; 25:11, s. 2321-37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The problem of invasive species is a well-studied one, but knowledge of free-living unicellular eukaryotic invasive species is lacking. A potentially invasive foraminifer (Rhizaria), Nonionella sp. T1, was recently discovered in the Skagerrak and its fjords. Digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) was applied to track the spread of this non-indigenous species using a new dPCR assay (T1-1). The use of dPCR appears highly complementary to traditional hand picking of foraminiferal shells from the sediment, and is far less time-consuming. This study indicates that Nonionella sp. T1 has bypassed the outer Skagerrak strait, instead becoming established in Swedish west coast fjords, constituting up to half of the living foraminiferal community in fjord mouth areas. The ecology of Nonionella sp. T1 and its potential invasive impacts are still largely unknown, but it appears to be an opportunist using several energy sources such as nitrate respiration and kleptoplasty along with a possibly more efficient reproductive strategy to gain an advantage over the native foraminiferal species. Future ecological studies of Nonionella sp. T1 could be aided by dPCR and the novel Nonionella sp. T1-specific T1-1 assay.
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| 3. |
- Polovodova Asteman, Irina, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Spreading of an alien benthic foraminifer in the North Sea: a reason to be worried?
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Congress FORAMS2023, Perugia, Italy, 25-30th June. - Perugia, Italy : Micropress Europe & The Grzybowski Foundation.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the Skagerrak-Kattegat (eastern North Sea), the alien benthic foraminifer Nonionella sp. T1 (previously referred to as “Nonionella stella”) was reported for the first time in 2011 and 2012 in the Swedish and southern Norwegian fjords, respectively. Based on dated sediment cores its first occurrence can be traced back to the 1980s in the Gullmar Fjord, to the 2000s in the Öresund and to 2010 in the Oslofjord. Since then, Nonionella sp T1 has spread all over the Kattegat and coastal Skagerrak, according to sampling campaigns performed between 2016 and 2022. The species is now highly abundant in the entire Kattegat, including the Öresund, as well as in fjord mouths of the seasonally hypoxic Gullmar Fjord, the oxic Hakefjord and the long-term polluted Idefjord as demonstrated by molecular and morphospecies data. At the same time, Nonionella sp T1 is rare to absent in the Baltic Sea, Skagerrak deep basin and in deep fjords of western and northern Norway. This study shows some preliminary results on the species’ present distribution in the study area and raises questions about the driving factors and potential effects on the local biodiversity.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Staehr, Peter A. U., et al.
(författare)
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Environmental DNA Monitoring of Biodiversity Hotspots in Danish Marine Waters
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-7745. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigated the use of eDNA metabarcoding for supplementing traditional diver-based monitoring of biodiversity of marine boulder reefs within the photic zone. The applied sampling design made it possible to evaluate the usefulness of eDNA monitoring as a supplement for traditional monitoring. Specifically, this study aimed to (1) assess the local influence of boulder reefs on biodiversity across the North Sea to Baltic Sea transition zone and (2) investigate the importance of environmental gradients for patterns in community structure. On samples collected during August 2020, we compared the composition and abundance of species associated with nine reefs, representing an environmental gradient of salinity (16–33 psu), water temperature (16–21°C) and water depth (6–29 m). At each reef site, water was sampled near the bottom just above the reef and on average 2.6 km upstream and downstream (location) and sequenced with metabarcoding using COI, 18S and 12S rDNA primers. eDNA identified 400 species, diver-based observations identified 184 with an overlap of 70 species (12%) and 81 genera (18%). While eDNA identified many infaunal species, it did not detect several macroalgal species which dominated in the diver-based observations. Multivariate analysis of eDNA and diver-based community structure both distinguished between reef communities, with a significant match between patterns observed by the two methods (r = 0.37, p = 0.02). Furthermore, the eDNA approach made it possible to identify significant differences in species composition between upstream, above-reef and downstream locations, suggesting that eDNA leaves a local footprint in benthic habitats. Patterns in both eDNA and diver-based species composition and richness were significantly related to geographical distance, salinity, water temperature and water depth. Despite of low detection of macroalgae, the eDNA sampling provided a substantial supplement to traditional diver-based monitoring of biodiversity around benthic hotspots in the Danish marine waters and therefore we recommend to add eDNA methods to conventional monitoring programs in the future.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Praher, D., et al.
(författare)
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Conservation and turnover of miRNAs and their highly complementary targets in early branching animals
- 2021
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 288:1945
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial post-transcriptional regulators that have been extensively studied in Bilateria, a group comprising the majority of extant animals, where more than 30 conserved miRNA families have been identified. By contrast, bilaterian miRNA targets are largely not conserved. Cnidaria is the sister group to Bilateria and thus provides a unique opportunity for comparative studies. Strikingly, like their plant counterparts, cnidarian miRNAs have been shown to predominantly have highly complementary targets leading to transcript cleavage by Argonaute proteins. Here, we assess the conservation of miRNAs and their targets by small RNA sequencing followed by miRNA target prediction in eight species of Anthozoa (sea anemones and corals), the earliest-branching cnidarian class. We uncover dozens of novel miRNAs but only a few conserved ones. Further, given their high complementarity, we were able to computationally identify miRNA targets in each species. Besides evidence for conservation of specific miRNA target sites, which are maintained between sea anemones and stony corals across 500 Myr of evolution, we also find indications for convergent evolution of target regulation by different miRNAs. Our data indicate that cnidarians have only few conserved miRNAs and corresponding targets, despite their high complementarity, suggesting a high evolutionary turnover.
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| 8. |
- Obst, Matthias, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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A Marine Biodiversity Observation Network for Genetic Monitoring of Hard-Bottom Communities (ARMS-MBON)
- 2020
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-7745. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Marine hard-bottom communities are undergoing severe change under the influence of multiple drivers, notably climate change, extraction of natural resources, pollution and eutrophication, habitat degradation, and invasive species. Monitoring marine biodiversity in such habitats is, however, challenging as it typically involves expensive, non-standardized, and often destructive sampling methods that limit its scalability. Differences in monitoring approaches furthermore hinders inter-comparison among monitoring programs. Here, we announce a Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) consisting of Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) with the aim to assess the status and changes in benthic fauna with genomic-based methods, notably DNA metabarcoding, in combination with image-based identifications. This article presents the results of a 30-month pilot phase in which we established an operational and geographically expansive ARMS-MBON. The network currently consists of 20 observatories distributed across European coastal waters and the polar regions, in which 134 ARMS have been deployed to date. Sampling takes place annually, either as short-term deployments during the summer or as long-term deployments starting in spring. The pilot phase was used to establish a common set of standards for field sampling, genetic analysis, data management, and legal compliance, which are presented here. We also tested the potential of ARMS for combining genetic and image-based identification methods in comparative studies of benthic diversity, as well as for detecting non-indigenous species. Results show that ARMS are suitable for monitoring hard-bottom environments as they provide genetic data that can be continuously enriched, re-analyzed, and integrated with conventional data to document benthic community composition and detect non-indigenous species. Finally, we provide guidelines to expand the network and present a sustainability plan as part of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (www.embrc.eu).
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| 9. |
- Sundberg, Per, 1950, et al.
(författare)
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eDNA och fiskinventeringar – ställ krav på rapporterna!
- 2020
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Ingår i: Fauna&Flora. ; 115:4, s. 31-37
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- eDNA kan vara ett kraftfullt verktyg för att kartlägga biologisk mångfald, och tekniken har under senare år använts för att inventera förekomsten av fiskarter i vattendrag. Rapporteringen av fiskinventeringar gjorda med eDNA saknar dock ofta den information som gör det möjligt att kritiskt utvärdera resultaten, eller att upprepa undersökningen. Vi har försökt sammanställa en lista över information som bör efterfrågas och varför.
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| 10. |
- Dnyansagar, R., et al.
(författare)
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Dispersal and speciation: The cross Atlantic relationship of two parasitic cnidarians
- 2018
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Ingår i: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 1055-7903. ; 126, s. 346-355
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- How dispersal strategies impact the distribution of species and subsequent speciation events is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. Sedentary benthic marine organisms, such as corals or sea anemones usually rely on motile larval stages for dispersal and therefore have a relatively restricted distribution along coasts. Edwardsiella lineata and Edwardsiella carnea are virtually indistinguishable edwardsiid sea anemones native to the east American and the Northern European coast, respectively. E. lineata is a facultative parasite to the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, while the life cycle of E. carnea is unknown. Recently M. leidyi was found in the Skagerrak carrying Edwardsiella sp. parasites, which raised the intriguing possibility that the invasive comb jellies acted as cargo for the facultative E. lineata parasites to establish a new population in Northern Europe. Here, we assessed the genetic differences between these two cryptic Edwardsiella species and isolated parasites from the invasive comb jelly M. leidyi in Sweden by comparing rRNA, whole transcriptomes, SNPs, ITS2 sequences and the gene complements of key developmental regulators, the Wnt gene family. We show that E. carnea and the parasite transcriptomes are more than 99% identical, hence demonstrating that E. carnea has a previously unknown parasitic life stage. ITS2 sequence analysis of E. carnea and E. lineata suggest that they may not be reproductively isolated. The transcriptomes of E. lineata and E. carnea are similar to 97% identical. We also estimate that the species diverged between 18.7 and 21.6 million years ago.
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