174 research outputs found
Response of marine communities to local temperature changes
No full textAs global climate change and variability drive shifts in species’ distributions, ecological communities are being reorganized. One approach to understand community change in response to climate change has been to characterize communities by a collective thermal preference, or community temperature index (CTI), and then to compare changes in CTI with changes in temperature. However, important questions remain about whether and how responsive communities are to changes in their local thermal environments. We used CTI to analyze changes in 160 marine assemblages (fish and invertebrates) across the rapidly-changing Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem and calculated expected community change based on historical relationships between species presence and temperature from a separate training dataset. We then compared interannual and long-term temperature changes with expected community responses and observed community responses over both temporal scales. For these marine communities, we found that community composition as well as composition changes through time could be explained by species associations with bottom temperature. Individual species had non-linear responses to changes in temperature, and these nonlinearities scaled up to a nonlinear relationship between CTI and temperature. On average, CTI increased by 0.36°C (95% CI: 0.34–0.38°C) for every 1°C increase in bottom temperature, but the relationship between CTI and temperature also depended on community composition. In addition, communities responded more strongly to interannual variation than to long-term trends in temperature. We recommend that future research into climate-driven community change accounts for nonlinear responses and examines ecological responses across a range of temporal and geographical scales.Peer reviewe
The reproductive seasonality and fecundity of yellowtail clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii) in the Philippines
No full textUnderstanding the spawning patterns and egg production of clownfish is important for understanding their life history and the factors contributing to population persistence. The egg production and temporal spawning patterns of eight breeding pairs of yellowtail clownfish, Amphiprion clarkii (Bennett 1830), were observed for a 14-month period on a coral reef in the Central Visayas, Philippines. Spawning events and egg production revealed a peak breeding season from November through May, which coincides with temperatures below 30 °C. Noticeably fewer spawning events and smaller clutch sizes occurred during the warmer months (30 to 31.5 °C) of June through October. Within the spawning season, egg production increased weakly leading up to the new moon and decreased after the full moon. The seasonality of spawning events found in this study were comparable to those of clownfish in temperate regions, and surprisingly unlike findings from other tropical latitudes and climates. These findings suggest that recruitment and larval dispersal in this population will be most sensitive to oceanographic conditions during relatively narrow periods of time each year.Peer reviewe
Marine Dispersal Scales Are Congruent over Evolutionary and Ecological Time
No full textThe degree to which offspring remain near their parents or disperse widely is critical for understanding population dynamics, evolution, and biogeography, and for designing conservation actions. In the ocean, most estimates suggesting short-distance dispersal are based on direct ecological observations of dispersing individuals, while indirect evolutionary estimates often suggest substantially greater homogeneity among populations. Reconciling these two approaches and their seemingly competing perspectives on dispersal has been a major challenge. Here we show for the first time that evolutionary and ecological measures of larval dispersal can closely agree by using both to estimate the distribution of dispersal distances. In orange clownfish (Amphiprion percula) populations in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, we found that evolutionary dispersal kernels were 17 km (95% confidence interval: 12–24 km) wide, while an exhaustive set of direct larval dispersal observations suggested kernel widths of 27 km (19–36 km) or 19 km (15–27 km) across two years. The similarity between these two approaches suggests that ecological and evolutionary dispersal kernels can be equivalent, and that the apparent disagreement between direct and indirect measurements can be overcome. Our results suggest that carefully applied evolutionary methods, which are often less expensive, can be broadly relevant for understanding ecological dispersal across the tree of life.Peer reviewe
Building confidence in projections of the responses of living marine resources to climate change
No full textThe Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlights that climate change and ocean acidification are challenging the sustainable management of living marine resources (LMRs). Formal and systematic treatment of uncertainty in existing LMR projections, however, is lacking. We synthesize knowledge of how to address different sources of uncertainty by drawing from climate model intercomparison efforts. We suggest an ensemble of available models and projections, informed by observations, as a starting point to quantify uncertainties. Such an ensemble must be paired with analysis of the dominant uncertainties over different spatial scales, time horizons, and metrics. We use two examples: (i) global and regional projections of Sea Surface Temperature and (ii) projection of changes in potential catch of sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in the 21st century, to illustrate this ensemble model approach to explore different types of uncertainties. Further effort should prioritize understanding dominant, undersampled Dimensions of uncertainty, as well as the strategic collection of observations to quantify, and ultimately reduce, uncertainties. Our proposed framework will improve our understanding of future changes in LMR and the resulting risk of impacts to ecosystems and the societies under changing ocean conditions.Peer reviewe
Author Correction: Blue food demand across geographic and temporal scales
No full textThe original version of this Article contained errors in the author affiliations. The affiliation of Malin Jonell and Beatrice Crona with Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden was inadvertently omitted. The affiliation of Malin Jonell with Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden was inadvertently omitted. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article
Managing living marine resources in a dynamic environment: The role of seasonal to decadal climate forecasts
No full textRecent developments in global dynamical climate prediction systems have allowed for skillful predictions of climate variables relevant to living marine resources (LMRs) at a scale useful to understanding and managing LMRs. Such predictions present opportunities for improved LMR management and industry operations, as well as new research avenues in fisheries science. LMRs respond to climate variability via changes in physiology and behavior. For species and systems where climate-fisheries links are well established, forecasted LMR responses can lead to anticipatory and more effective decisions, benefiting both managers and stakeholders. Here, we provide an overview of climate prediction systems and advances in seasonal to decadal prediction of marine-resource relevant environmental variables. We then describe a range of climate-sensitive LMR decisions that can be taken at lead-times of months to decades, before highlighting a range of pioneering case studies using climate predictions to inform LMR decisions. The success of these case studies suggests that many additional applications are possible. Progress, however, is limited by observational and modeling challenges. Priority developments include strengthening of the mechanistic linkages between climate and marine resource responses, development of LMR models able to explicitly represent such responses, integration of climate driven LMR dynamics in the multi-driver context within which marine resources exist, and improved prediction of ecosystemrelevant variables at the fine regional scales at which most marine resource decisions are made. While there are fundamental limits to predictability, continued advances in these areas have considerable potential to make LMR managers and industry decision more resilient to climate variability and help sustain valuable resources. Concerted dialog between scientists, LMR managers and industry is essential to realizing this potential.Peer reviewe
Rational engineering of a novel factor IX albumin fusion protein results in enhanced coagulant activity and pharmacokinetic profile
No full textNo abstract availabl
Design of a novel factor IX albumin fusion protein with enhanced coagulant activity and pharmacokinetic profile
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Design of a novel factor IX variant with enhanced procoagulant activity and half-life
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