| 1. |
- Almén, Anna-Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Negligible effects of ocean acidification on Eurytemora affinis (Copepoda) offspring production
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 13:4, s. 1037-1048
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ocean acidification is caused by increasing amounts of carbon dioxide dissolving in the oceans leading to lower seawater pH. We studied the effects of lowered pH on the calanoid copepod Eurytemora affinis during a mesocosm experiment conducted in a coastal area of the Baltic Sea. We measured copepod reproductive success as a function of pH, chlorophyll a concentration, diatom and dinoflagellate biomass, carbon to nitrogen (C : N) ratio of suspended particulate organic matter, as well as copepod fatty acid composition. The laboratory-based experiment was repeated four times during 4 consecutive weeks, with water and copepods sampled from pelagic mesocosms enriched with different CO2 concentrations. In addition, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of animals from the mesocosms was measured weekly to test whether the copepod's defence against oxidative stress was affected by pH. We found no effect of pH on offspring production. Phytoplankton biomass, as indicated by chlorophyll a concentration and dinoflagellate biomass, had a positive effect. The concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the females was reflected in the eggs and had a positive effect on offspring production, whereas monounsaturated fatty acids of the females were reflected in their eggs but had no significant effect. ORAC was not affected by pH. From these experiments we conclude that E. affinis seems robust against direct exposure to ocean acidification on a physiological level, for the variables covered in the study. E. affinis may not have faced acute pH stress in the treatments as the species naturally face large pH fluctuations.
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| 2. |
- Brutemark, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Growth, toxicity and oxidative stress of a cultured cyanobacterium (Dolichospermum sp.) under different CO2/pH and temperature conditions
- 2015
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Ingår i: Phycological Research. - : Wiley. - 1322-0829 .- 1440-1835. ; 63:1, s. 56-63
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cyanobacteria blooms are a worldwide nuisance in fresh, brackish and marine waters. Changing environmental conditions due to upwelling, changed mixing conditions or climate change are likely to influence cyanobacteria growth and toxicity. In this study, the response of the toxic cyanobacterium Dolichospermum sp. to lowered pH (-0.4 units by adding CO2) and elevated temperature (+4 degrees C) in an experimental set-up was examined. Growth rate, microcystin concentration and oxidative stress were measured. The growth rate and intracellular toxin concentration increased significantly as a response to temperature. When Dolichospermum was exposed to the combination of elevated temperature and high CO2/low pH, lipid peroxidation increased and antioxidant levels decreased. Microcystin concentrations were significantly correlated with growth rates. Our results show, although oxidative stress increases when exposed to a combination of high CO2/low pH and high temperature, that growth and toxicity increase at high temperature, suggesting that the cyanobacterium in general seems to be fairly tolerant to changes in pH and temperature. Further progress in identifying biological responses and predicting climate change consequences in estuaries experiencing cyanobacteria blooms requires a better understanding of the interplay between stressors such as pH and temperature.
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| 3. |
- Engström-Öst, Jonna, et al.
(författare)
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Consequences of a cyanobacteria bloom for copepod reproduction, mortality and sex ratio
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Plankton Research. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0142-7873 .- 1464-3774. ; 37:2, s. 388-398
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the study was to measure copepod reproduction, mortality and sex ratio in the field before, during and after a cyanobacteria bloom during the summer in the western Gulf of Finland. Environment and zooplankton samples were collected every fortnight, and the copepod Acartia spp. was incubated in the laboratory for reproductive output, i.e. egg production and egg hatching success. Other responses monitored were female: male ratio, mortality and body condition. In addition, molecular analyses of the nodularin-producing cyanobacterium Nodularia in Acartia gut contents (GCs) were assessed. Egg production and body condition decreased with increasing Nodularia GCs. During the bloom, hatching decreased as a response to Nodularia in the copepod gut. Although not related to cyanobacteria variables, male mortality was higher than female mortality, resulting in a female-biased sex ratio over most of the summer. The study demonstrates that Acartia reproductive output is constrained by cyanobacteria blooms in the Baltic Sea, and more generally that copepod population dynamics may be negatively affected by such blooms. This is especially significant considering that toxin-producing blooms are predicted to increase due to warming.
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| 4. |
- Engström-Öst, Jonna, et al.
(författare)
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The effects of short-term pH decrease on the reproductive output of the copepod Acartia bifilosa - a laboratory study
- 2014
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Ingår i: Marine and Freshwater Behaviour & Physiology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1023-6244 .- 1029-0362. ; 47:3, s. 173-183
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This laboratory study reports some reproductive responses of the copepod Acartia bifilosa to rapid variations in pH. The imposed changes mimic those that copepods could experience due to coastal upwelling, changed mixing conditions or vertical migration. We measured effects of low pH on egg production, hatching and early nauplii development (H-0: no effects on response variables between low and ambient pH). On treatment with low pH, we found positive effects on egg production rate and nauplii development time. The positive response to low pH could be an initial stress response or show that A. bifilosa is tolerant to the experimental pH values. The result suggests that A. bifilosa is adapted to pH changes as it performs daily migrations between the depths with differing pH. It could also be advantageous for population development if eggs hatch at high speed and so reduce the possibility that they will sink into anoxic and low pH waters.
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| 5. |
- Engström-Öst, Jonna, et al.
(författare)
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Toxin-producing cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena, potential competitors and grazers : testing mechanisms of reciprocal interactions
- 2011
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Ingår i: Aquatic Microbial Ecology. - : Inter-Research Science Center. - 0948-3055 .- 1616-1564. ; 62:1, s. 39-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interactions among toxic cyanobacteria, sympatric algae and planktivorous grazers are key processes governing plankton dynamics and cyanobacterial blooms. We studied interactions between the cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena and microalgae (Rhodomonas salina and Tetraselmis suecica) as well as effects of zooplankton (copepod Eurytemora affinis) grazing on these interactions. N. spumigena was incubated without algae or with algae at different concentrations and with or without copepods. Following similar to 24 h incubation, we assayed changes in N. spumigena and algae abundance, concentration of intracellular (IC) and dissolved nodularin (toxin produced by N. spumigena) and quantity of Nodularia DNA in copepod guts (as a proxy for grazing pressure on the cyanobacterium). In the presence of algae, IC nodularin levels increased in a concentration-dependent manner; however, when copepods were present in the mixtures of algae and cyanobacterium, this increase was significantly less. The presence of T. suecica negatively affected the growth rate of N. spumigena, whereas the presence of the cyanobacterium strongly impeded growth of R. salina, but not of T. suecica. The IC nodularin quota correlated negatively with growth of R. salina, implicating the toxin's involvement in the observed growth suppression of the eukaryotic alga. Copepods actively ingested N. spumigena, even when the alternative food was plentiful, and neither N. spumigena quantity nor its toxin concentrations influenced copepod feeding rates and survival. These findings suggest complex allelopathic interactions between the autotrophs, whereas mesozooplankton grazers have an indirect negative effect on the nodularin concentrations by suppressing the competitors. These findings underscore the need to study ecologically important interactions among toxic cyanobacteria, sympatric algae and grazers, if we are to understand mechanisms regulating cyanobacterial blooms.
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| 6. |
- Hogfors, Hedvig, et al.
(författare)
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Bloom-Forming Cyanobacteria Support Copepod Reproduction and Development in the Baltic Sea
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is commonly accepted that summer cyanobacterial blooms cannot be efficiently utilized by grazers due to low nutritional quality and production of toxins; however the evidence for such effects in situ is often contradictory. Using field and experimental observations on Baltic copepods and bloom-forming diazotrophic filamentous cyanobacteria, we show that cyanobacteria may in fact support zooplankton production during summer. To highlight this side of zooplankton-cyanobacteria interactions, we conducted: (1) a field survey investigating linkages between cyanobacteria, reproduction and growth indices in the copepod Acartia tonsa; (2) an experiment testing relationships between ingestion of the cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena (measured by molecular diet analysis) and organismal responses (oxidative balance, reproduction and development) in the copepod A. bifilosa; and (3) an analysis of long term (1999-2009) data testing relationships between cyanobacteria and growth indices in nauplii of the copepods, Acartia spp. and Eurytemora affinis, in a coastal area of the northern Baltic proper. In the field survey, N. spumigena had positive effects on copepod egg production and egg viability, effectively increasing their viable egg production. By contrast, Aphanizomenon sp. showed a negative relationship with egg viability yet no significant effect on the viable egg production. In the experiment, ingestion of N. spumigena mixed with green algae Brachiomonas submarina had significant positive effects on copepod oxidative balance, egg viability and development of early nauplial stages, whereas egg production was negatively affected. Finally, the long term data analysis identified cyanobacteria as a significant positive predictor for the nauplial growth in Acartia spp. and E. affinis. Taken together, these results suggest that bloom forming diazotrophic cyanobacteria contribute to feeding and reproduction of zooplankton during summer and create a favorable growth environment for the copepod nauplii.
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| 7. |
- Vehmaa, Anu, et al.
(författare)
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Copepod reproductive success in spring-bloom communities with modified diatom and dinoflagellate dominance
- 2012
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Ingår i: ICES Journal of Marine Science. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1054-3139 .- 1095-9289. ; 69:3, s. 351-357
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dinoflagellates have increased and diatoms decreased in the Baltic Sea in recent decades, possibly because of changes in the climate and altered patterns of stratification. The hypothesis that grazing copepods would benefit from the change in species composition was tested experimentally by studying the reproductive output of the crustacean copepod Eurytemora affinis in five Baltic Sea phytoplankton spring communities dominated by different dinoflagellates (Biecheleria baltica, Gymnodinium corollarium) and diatoms (Chaetoceros cf. wighamii, Skeletonema marinoi, and Thalassiosira baltica). After a 5-d acclimation and a 4-d incubation, egg production, egg hatching success, and the RNA: DNA ratio of E. affinis were measured. Egg production was highest on a G. corollarium-dominated diet and lowest on a S. marinoi-dominated diet and on a B. baltica-dominated natural spring bloom, but there were no differences in hatching success. The results demonstrate strong species-specific effects unconstrained by the dominating group. Hence, the hypothesis of specific effects derived from a diatom or dinoflagellate diet is too simplistic, and there is a need to explore phytoplankton taxa at a species level to reveal the reasons for copepod reproductive success.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Vehmaa, Anu, et al.
(författare)
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How will increased dinoflagellate:diatom ratios affect copepod egg production? : a case study from the Baltic Sea
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. - : Elsevier. - 0022-0981 .- 1879-1697. ; 401:1-2, s. 134-140
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mild winters are modifying the plankton spring bloom composition so that diatoms are decreasing and dinoflagellates increasing. We used two common spring bloom phytoplankton species, a diatom and a dinoflagellate to study the effects of changing bloom composition on the reproduction of the calanoid copepod Acartia bifilosa Giesbrecht, a dominant species in the northern Baltic Sea. Egg production was significantly higher when copepods were fed with Scrippsiella hangoei (Schiller) Larsen dinoflagellates or a mixture of Scrippsiella and Skeletonema marinoi Sarno and Zingone diatoms than when they were provided with Skeletonema only. This effect was observed despite the fact that the Skeletonema strain did not produce polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) and its nutritional quality was high according to polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs) and sterol measurements, and moderate according to mineral (C:N and C:P) measurements. When offered mixtures of Skeletonema and Scrippsiella, copepods ingested both, even when the other one was rare. This indicates potential positive effect of multispecies diets not verified in this study. Here we show that increasing dinoflagellate:diatom ratio might have a positive effect on copepod reproduction.
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| 10. |
- Vehmaa, Anu, et al.
(författare)
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Ocean acidification challenges copepod phenotypic plasticity
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 13:22, s. 6171-6182
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ocean acidification is challenging phenotypic plasticity of individuals and populations. Calanoid copepods (zooplankton) are shown to be fairly plastic against altered pH conditions, and laboratory studies indicate that transgenerational effects are one mechanism behind this plasticity. We studied phenotypic plasticity of the copepod Acartia sp. in the course of a pelagic, large-volume mesocosm study that was conducted to investigate ecosystem and biogeochemical responses to ocean acidification. We measured copepod egg production rate, egg-hatching success, adult female size and adult female antioxidant capacity (ORAC) as a function of acidification (fCO(2) similar to 365-1231 mu atm) and as a function of quantity and quality of their diet. We used an egg transplant experiment to reveal whether transgenerational effects can alleviate the possible negative effects of ocean acidification on offspring development. We found significant negative effects of ocean acidification on adult female size. In addition, we found signs of a possible threshold at high fCO(2), above which adaptive maternal effects cannot alleviate the negative effects of acidification on egg-hatching and nauplii development. We did not find support for the hypothesis that insufficient food quantity (total particulate carbon <55 mu m) or quality (C : N) weakens the transgenerational effects. However, females with high-ORAC-produced eggs with high hatching success. Overall, these results indicate that Acartia sp. could be affected by projected near-future CO2 levels.
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