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Submerged macrophytes play crucial roles in maintaining the stability of clear-water states in shallow lakes. Recent stable isotope studies have shown that crustacean zooplankton can utilize submerged macrophyte carbon, but macrophytes alone cannot support the growth and reproduction of such grazers, being deficient in highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA). We hypothesized that flagellates feeding on macrophytes can synthesize HUFA and thereby support crustacean zooplankton. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a feeding experiment in which Daphnia magna were provided with a diet of submerged macrophyte Hydrilla verticillata detritus which had been degraded by lake microbes. The chlorophyte Scenedesmus bijuga and undegraded macrophyte detritus were used as controls for comparison of Daphnia's performance. Using biochemical analysis, we examined how the degradation process affected the food quality of the macrophyte. Flagellates were subsequently isolated from the degraded macrophyte and cultured heterotrophically to detect their HUFA synthesis. The 5-day degraded H. verticillata showed significantly higher HUFA concentrations than undegraded macrophyte detritus. They supported better Daphnia performance than undegraded macrophyte, being comparable with S. bijuga. Two isolated flagellates (SL-1 and SL-2), identified as Ochromonas sp. and Poterioochromonas sp., were found to contain HUFA when cultured heterotrophically without dietary sources of fatty acids, suggesting their HUFA synthesis ability. Our results demonstrate that submerged macrophytes may thus indirectly support crustacean zooplankton via flagellate mediation. As crustacean zooplanktons are of key importance for water quality in the grazer control of phytoplankton, this microbial facilitation may contribute to the maintenance of macrophyte clear-water conditions in shallow lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the biomass of the nocturnal fishes is almost same as that of diurnal fishes, most of the ecological studies that examine feeding or reproductive behaviors are on diurnal fishes. Therefore, there is limited ecological information regarding the nocturnal fishes. This fact may be attributed to the difficulty in observing them during darkness. Members of the genus Pempheris (Pempheridae) are one of the most abundant nocturnal fishes on coral reefs. Methods: The nighttime migrations of Pempheris schwenkii were observed by attaching a chemical luminescent tag. Tagged fishes were followed by an observer without torch and SCUBA, and their positions and estimated depths were plotted on an underwater topographic map. Aquarium tank observation was carried out to further describe their habits during the night. Results: The new tagging method provided good data for observing the migration behavior. In all five observations, the target fishes started nighttime migration from the entrance of their cave within 1 h after sunset. All of them immediately left the inner reef and spent most of the observation time near the surface (0–5 m depth) or shallow (5–15 m depth) water-columns of the outer reef. Their migration pattern varied between days, but they migrated long distance (379–786 m/h) during each observation. The behavior observed in the aquarium tank was categorized into five patterns: schooling, shaking, migrating, spawning, and feeding. Shaking and spawning were observed during one of three observation days. Discussion: The present study firstly clarified the small-scale but dynamic nocturnal migration pattern of P. schwenkii in nature by a new method using chemical luminescent tags. In addition, combined observations from nature and an aquarium could be used to estimate the behavior of this species. Pempheris schwenkii may reduce their predation risk of eggs and adults by spawning at outer reef in nighttime. It was estimated that they can potentially migrate 4–7 km/night. The rapid growth known for this species may have been supported by their feeding behavior where they can fill up their stomach every night with rich zooplankton in outer reefs. Furthermore, the behavior of this species indicates the possibility that they make an important contribution to the flow of energy and materials in their coral reef ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal areas are particularly important, as their shallow waters commonly correspond to nursery areas for many species. Unfortunately, these habitats also support many commercial fisheries which overlap with nursery areas and can represent a risk to numerous shark species, including Sphyrna lewini which frequent both coastal waters and offshore islands throughout their lifecycle and are affected by the high fishing activity in coastal areas, particularly during their early life stages. For this reason, it is imperative to identify and establish connectivity between key habitats during their lifecycle to improve conservation strategies. This study provides the first evidence about habitat use and migration corridors between oceanic aggregation zones and coastal areas of the Colombian Pacific, which constitute important habitats for S. lewini. A total of five S. lewini neonates were sampled in the Sanquianga National Natural Park coastal area: the individuals ranged from 48.2 to 52.8 cm in total length and were obtained by artisanal fishermen. Our δ13Ccorrected (− 16.3 ± 0.16‰) and δ15N (15.9 ± 0.11‰) values were similar to those obtained from specimens from the Malpelo isospace (δ13C: − 16.3 ± 0.1‰ and δ15N: 15.9 ± 0.11‰). Our isotopic results showed significant use and connectivity between both marine environments (oceanic and coastal areas), the extent of which depended on shark maturity stages, providing evidences of the trophic links of S. lewini between Malpelo waters and the Sanquianga National Natural Park coastal area. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of both habitats in the lifecycle of S. lewini and provides preliminary inferences about S. lewini ecology and habitat preference representing a baseline for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paradigm emphasizes the trophic role of epiphytic algae in seagrass-based food webs. However, a growing body of literature demonstrates that grazers would directly cause considerable damage to seagrass rather than targeting epiphytes, perhaps depending on seagrass traits. Here, we analyzed δ13C and δ15N signatures of macrozoobenthos, nekton and their potential organic carbon sources in Halophila ovalis seagrass bed and adjacent waters on the Hepu coast (Beihai, China) to test the hypothesis that Halophila with high nutritive values and fragile leaf-fracture traits may be a key carbon source. The δ13C values of most consumers either fell between H. ovalis (−14.7 ± 0.7‰) and benthic microalgae (microphytobenthos and Halophila’s epiphytes, −19.9 to −19.3‰), or approached the δ13C of H. ovalis, suggesting that H. ovalis and microalgae is basal carbon sources in Halophila-based food web. Further quantification based on a 4-end-member MixSIAR model showed that H. ovalis is the most important basal carbon source, supporting 4 out of 6 trophic groups of macrozoobenthos, and 4 out of 7 nektonic trophic groups (a total of 22 species, accounting for 84.6% in nekton). The mean contribution was 37.2–75.3% for macrozoobenthos and 51.1–64.4% for nekton, respectively. Most macrozoobenthos directly or indirectly assimilated H. ovalis or its detritus and were then mainly utilized by nekton except for bivalves which largely fed on suspended microphytobenthos and particulate organic matter (POM), and porifera filtered POM. Our results re-examined the trophic function of seagrass in seagrass-based food web and emphasize the importance of protecting Halophila resources.

We examined the feeding habits of Benthosema pterotum in Kagoshima Bay. Benthosema pterotum undertook diel vertical migration and preyed in shallow waters at night. The most frequently consumed prey were copepods, and B. pterotum selectively foraged on poecilostomatoids. Poecilostomatoids were more predominant in the Kagoshima Bay zooplankton community than in neighboring sites, which suggested that the B. pterotum preference for poecilostomatoids may be an adaptation by the local population to prey availability. Benthosema pterotum probably plays an important role as a biological pump contributor and as a mediator that links secondary production and higher trophic levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the feeding habits of the dominant mesopelagic fish Sigmops gracilis larvae across the Kuroshio Current, southern Japan. The feeding incidence tended to decrease toward the offshore area. Copepods, amphipods, ostracods, and appendicularians were microscopically observed in the guts. Larvae fed substantially on copepods such as calanoids and appendicularians. Appendicularians were more frequently ingested toward the offshore area and were the most preferential prey item in all areas. The microbial production integrated by appendicularians would support mesopelagic fish larvae in addition to the ordinary trophic pathway through copepods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trophic links between nekton and plankton are analyzed using the data collected in trawl surveys conducted by Pacific Fish. Res. Center (TINRO) in the Pacific waters at Kuril Islands and East Kamchatka in June-July of 2004-2016 and in the central and western parts of the Subarctic Front zone and adjacent subarctic waters in February-April of 2009-2011. Spatial, seasonal and interannual dynamics of nekton communities are detected, as well as changes in their composition and abundance. The most significant changes were caused by mass migrations of subtropical species, as in summer of 2014-2016. In these cases, new components were involved in the food web and energy flows between the low and upper trophic levels were changed, in the first place concerning to copepods, then to euphausiids, amphipods, and small-sized nekton prey. There were no such significant interannual changes in the energy flows in winter. The estimates of daily and seasonal energy flows between low and upper trophic levels, as well as the consumption rate of forage resources indicate no excess of allowable grazing pressure upon forage resources in the upper pelagic layer of the surveyed areas.

Robust predictions of predator–prey interactions are fundamental for the understanding of food webs, their structure, dynamics, resistance to species loss, response to invasions and ecosystem function. Most current food web models measure parameters at the food web level to predict patterns at the same level. Thus, they are sensitive to the quality of the data and may be ineffective in predicting non‐observed interactions and disturbed food webs. There is a need for mechanistic models that predict the occurrence of a predator–prey interaction based on lower levels of organization (i.e. the traits of organisms) and the properties of their environment.Here, we present such a model that focuses on the predation act itself. We built a Newtonian, mechanical model for the processes of searching, capturing and handling of a prey item by a predator. Associated with general metabolic laws, we predict the net energy gain from predation for pairs of pelagic or flying predator species and their prey depending on their body sizes.Predicted interactions match well with data from the most extensive predator–prey database, and overall model accuracy is greater than the allometric niche model.Our model shows that it is possible to accurately predict the structure of food webs using only a few mechanical traits. It underlines the importance of physical constraints in structuring food webs. A plain language summary is available for this article. Plain Language Summary [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trophic links of dragonflies in biocenoses of the Central Caucasus are examined in this article. The analysis of this phenomenon allowed to reveal the spectrum of the given connection of imago and larva’s members of the order Odonata in the communities of the study area. The structure of the trophic links is represented in the form of diagrams.

Data of 8 surveys conducted by Pacific Fish. Res. Center (TINRO) in the Pacific waters at Kuril Islands in 2004-2012 are summarized to consider forage base and food relationships of nekton and plankton and to estimate consumption of forage resourced by nekton. The total stock of zooplankton and micronekton in the epipelagic layer changed from 62 to 158 million tons over the shelf and slope of the surveyed area and from 41 to 75 million tons in its deep-water part. Mezopelagic fishes, squids, pacific salmons, and subtropical fishes were the main consumers of these forage resources in summer. The portion of zooplankton stock consumed annually by nekton was relatively low: 4.2-9.3 % for shelf and slope areas (data for 2004, 2007, and 2011) and 4.5-15.6 % for the deep-waters (data for 2004, 2007, 2009, and 2011), without significant year-to-year changes in the diet composition and feeding intensity of nekton. There is concluded that zooplankton and micronekton of the studied area serve successively the food needs of its consumers and carrying capacity of the epipelagic layer in the Pacific waters at Kuril Islands is quite substantial.

Spatial subsidies have increasingly been considered significant sources of matter and energy to unproductive ecosystems. However, subsidy quality may both differ between subsidizing sources and vary over time. In our studies, sub-littoral herbivory by snails or isopods on red or brown macro-algae induced changes in algal tissues that affected colonization of beach-cast algal wrack by supra-littoral detritivores (amphipods). However, microbial decay and decomposition through the joint action of detritivores and microbes of algal wrack in the supra-littoral remained unaffected by whether or not red or brown algae had been fed upon by snails or isopods. Thus, herbivory on marine macro-algae affects the cross-system connection of sub-littoral and supra-littoral food webs transiently, but these effects diminish upon ageing of macro-algal wrack in the supra-littoral zone.

The spatio-temporal variability in marine resources influences the foraging behaviour and success of top marine predators. However, little is known about the links between these animals and ocean productivity, specifically, how plankton density influences their foraging behaviour. Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) have two annual at-sea foraging trips: a two month post-breeding foraging trip (Nov – Jan) that coincides with elevated summer productivity; and an eight month post-moulting foraging trip (Feb – Oct) over winter, when productivity is low. Physical parameters are often used to describe seal habitat, whereas information about important biological parameters is lacking. We used electronic tags deployed on elephant seals during both trips to determine their movement and foraging behaviour. The tags also recorded light, which measured the bio-optical properties of the water column, the bulk of which is presumably influenced by phytoplankton. We investigated the relationship between plankton density and seal foraging behaviour; comparing trends between summer and winter trips. We found a positive relationship between plankton density and foraging behaviour, which did not vary seasonally. We propose that profitable concentrations of seal prey are more likely to coincide with planktonic aggregations, but we also acknowledge that trophic dynamics may shift in response to seasonal trends in productivity. Seal prey (mid-trophic level) and plankton (lower-trophic level) are expected to overlap in space and time during summer trips when peak phytoplankton blooms occur. In contrast, aggregated patches of lower trophic levels are likely to be more dispersed during winter trips when plankton density is considerably lower and heterogeneous. These results show that southern elephant seals are able to exploit prey resources in different ways throughout the year as demonstrated by the variation observed between seal foraging behaviour and trophic dynamics.

The elements present in dead pine stumps inhabited by larvae of wood-boring beetles (Stictoleptura rubra, Arhopalus rusticus and Chalcophora mariana) were analyzed over the initial (first 5 years; a chronosequence) stages of wood decay. The quantities of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu and Na (but not S) increased with increases in the content of ergosterol (used as a proxy for the amount of fungal tissue). In fact, the amounts of P, N, K, Fe and Cu presented marked increases. These findings show that fungi stoichiometrically rearrange dead wood by importing externally occurring nutrients to decaying stumps. During the first years of wood decay, the ratios of C to other elements decrease substantially, but differently, for various elements, whereas the N:Fe, N:Cu, N:P and N:K ratios remain relatively stable. Therefore, the stoichiometric mismatch between xylophages and their food is greatly reduced. By changing the nutritional stoichiometry of dead wood, fungi create a nutritional niche for wood-eaters, and these changes enable the development of xylophages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of white clover in grassland is a common practice to improve the quality of the pasture and to limit the use of industrial sources of inorganic fertilizer N inputs. However, little is known about the extent to which the introduction of different crop compositions affects soil quality in general, and soil biota in particular. Recent studies have shown that epedaphic and euedaphic Collembola can have distinct differences in feeding strategy that suggests trophic niche differentiation according to soil habitat. Combining fatty acid (FA) biomarkers with the carbon isotopic ratios technique, we investigated belowground trophic interactions. We compared the FA composition of the three most predominant groups of Collembola (Isotoma spp., Lepidocyrtus cyaneus and Poduromorpha) and bulk soil in white clover-only, a grass-clover mixture, and grass-only plots. Differences between FA-δ13C of Collembola groups and the FA-δ13C signatures of potential food sources (plant material and soil microorganisms) were calculated to explore trophic links in the three cropping combinations. Collembola showed difference in FA compositions between groups. We observed a lower amount of neutral lipid fatty acids (NLFAs) in Isotoma spp. compared to L. cyaneus. Poduromorpha showed a higher relative percentage of the NLFAs 16:1ω7 and 20:4 compared to L. cyaneus, and of 18:3 compared to Isotoma spp. The NLFA oleic/linoleic ratio (18:1ω9/18:2ω6,9) ratio was higher in Poduromorpha compared to L. cyaneus in all the treatments. Soil FA analysis highlighted a larger fungal/bacterial ratio in grass compared to clover plots, while in Collembola no differences in the FA pattern were detected in relation to the treatments. Nevertheless, results of δ13C fractionation in Collembola disclosed differences in the food sources used depending on the crop composition. Apparently, Isotoma spp. and L. cyaneus fed on clover-related diet in clover plots and more on grass-related diet in mixture treatments while Poduromorpha fed more on a plant-related diet, such as leaf litter, in the mixture treatment. Our results suggest differentiation in Collembola feeding strategy and in the diet in relation to food availability and palatability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During experiment, fish were exposed to a heavy metal model mixture (Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd) for 14 days. Heavy metal concentrations corresponded to Maximum Permitted Concentrations (MPC) in surface waters. The amount of heavy metals in fish tissues was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Though both investigated fish species accumulated heavy metals with similar general intensity, the stone loach did it in the sequence gills > liver > muscle, and the rainbow trout ‐ conversely: muscle > liver > gills. Ni concentration in the stone loach muscle made 0.607 mg/kg and Pb concentration was 0.21 mg/kg, whereas Cd concentration in the rainbow trout muscle reached 0.45 mg/kg and exceeded the MPC indicated in the Lithuanian hygiene standard. These results coincide with the data of the heavy metal research into fish species from natural water bodies. Pb and Cd concentrations in fish tissues are the highest and frequently exceed the MPC. These findings urge for the constant control of the amount of heavy metals in fish. Santrauka Bandomosios žuvys 14 paru buvo veikiamos modeliniu sunkiuju metalu mišiniu (Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd). Metalu koncentracijos atitiko ju didžiausias leidžiamas koncentracijas (DLK) paviršiniuose vandenyse. Sunkiuju metalu kiekis audiniuose buvo nustatomas atomines absorbcijos spektrofotometriniu (AAS) būdu. Nors abieju tirtu rūšiu žuvu audiniuose sunkieji metalai kaupesi vienodu intensyvumu, šlyžio audiniuose jie kaupesi tokiu eiliškumu: žiaunos > kepenys > raumenys, o vaivorykštinio upetakio ‐ atvirkščiai: raumenys > kepenys > žiaunos. Šlyžio raumenyse Ni koncentracija buvo 0,607 mg/kg, o Pb ‐ 0,21 mg/kg ,vaivorykštinio upetakio raumenyse Cd koncentracija sieke 0,45 mg/kg ir viršijo Lietuvos higienos normoje nurodytaja DLK. Šie rezultatai sutampa su sunkiuju metalu nuolatines stebesenos kontroliuojamu rūšiu žuvyse iš natūraliu vandens telkiniu tyrimu duomenimis. Žuvu audiniuose Pb ir Cd koncentracijos yra didžiausios ir dažnai viršija DLK. Tokie rezultatai ipareigoja nuolat kontroliuoti sunkiuju metalu kieki žuvyse. Резюме Подопытные рыбы в течение 14 суток подвергались воздействию смеси тяжёлых металлов (Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd) в предельно допустимых концентрациях (ПДК), предусмотренных для внутренних водоёмов. Количество тяжелых металлов в тканях рыб устанавливали при помощи атомной абсорбции спектрофотометрическим методом. Несмотря на то, что оба вида рыб накапливали металлы с одинаковой общей интенсивностью, голец их накапливал в следующей последовательности: жабры > печень> мышцы, а радужная форель – наоборот: мышцы > печень> жабры. В мышцах гольца концентрация Ni составила 0,607 мг/кг, Pb – 0,21 мг/кг, а в тканях форели концентрация Cd составила 0,45 мг/кг и превышала ПДК. Экспериментальные данные совпадают с данными, полученными в мониторинговых водоемах. Установлено также, что концентрация Pb и Cd в тканях зачастую прeвышаeт ПДК. Полученные результаты обязывают постоянно контролировать уровень тяжелых металлов в тканях рыб. First Publish Online: 27 Jun 2011 Ключевые слова: рыбы, токсичность, пищевая связь, экспериментальный анализ, гигиеническая норма. Reikšminiai žodžiai: žuvys, toksiškumas, mitybinė grandis, eksperimentiniai tyrimai, higienos norma.

1. As grazers on picoplankton and nanoplankton, planktonic ciliates form an important link in pelagic food webs. Ciliate communities may be controlled by predation by metazooplankton. In eutrophic systems, however, where the number of large crustaceans is often low, the mechanisms that regulate ciliate dynamics have rarely been described. 2. We conducted an enclosure experiment with natural and screened (145 μm) summer plankton communities to investigate the effect of the small-sized crustacean zooplankton on ciliate community structure and the microbial loop in a shallow eutrophic lake. 3. The removal of the larger fraction of crustaceans initiated a decrease in total ciliate abundance. At the community level, we observed a substantial increase in large-sized predacious ciliates (>100 μm) and a simultaneous decrease in the abundance of smaller ciliates (<20-40 μm) that were mostly bacterivores and bacterio-herbivores. The compositional shift in the ciliate community, however, did not cascade down to the level of bacteria and edible phytoplankton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the past two decades, several models for food webs have been proposed. Those models provide possible explanations on how the food webs we observe today arrive at their respective network structure. Those well established models almost all rely on two common parameters, the numbers of species and trophic links, as well as assuming that species are ranked in some hierarchical order or ecological dimensions. Under those model assumptions species are then allowed to interact with each other depending on their relative positions in relevant ecological dimensions, resulting in simulated food webs that can capture the characteristics of their real-life counterparts. In this paper, we propose a simple model for food webs following biological intuitions. Our model differs from others in that we do not have the prior assumption of species being ordered in any ecological dimensions, and we do not assume a particular number of trophic links. Our model here takes two basic parameters, the number of species and the number of resources, and allows the random encounter between species and resources, and as a result forming trophic interactions. One critical assumption in this model is that after a species obtains resources, it will then become new resources for other species to utilise. In essence, the model here constructs food webs by passing resources among different species. Our model predicts the maximum number of trophic links of a food web when given the number of species, and shows that connectance is a non-linear decreasing function of species number. Furthermore, this simple model also demonstrates that the number of trophic levels tends to decrease when resource number is larger, echoing empirical studies from the literature. We further modified our simple model to fit a particular food web data and suggest the possible mechanism underlying the growth of the empirical food web. Lastly, we assessed the performance of our model by fitting it to a wide range of real food webs and compared the result with those derived from other models. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We tested the hypotheses that the ciliate assemblages in moderately eutrophic lake are controlled by the effective crustacean predation, and the high abundances of planktonic ciliates in highly eutrophic and turbid lake are due to insufficient regulation by crustacean zooplankton. A food tracer method coupled with natural assemblage of microciliates labeled with fluorescent microparticles was used to measure the cladoceran and copepod predation rates on planktonic ciliates and to estimate the carbon flow between the ciliate-crustacean trophic links. The results revealed that the microciliates (15-40 μm) were consumed by all dominant cladoceran and copepod species in both the lakes studied, mainly by Chydorus sphaericus and cyclopoid copepods in Lake Võrtsjärv, and by Daphnia spp. and Bosmina spp. in Lake Peipsi. The grazing loss in moderately eutrophic Peipsi indicated strong top-down control of ciliates mainly by cladocerans. The extraordinary abundant population of planktonic ciliates having a predominant role in the food web in highly eutrophic and turbid Võrtsjärv is explained by the measured low crustacean predation rates on ciliates. The estimated carbon flow from the ciliates to crustaceans suggest that in eutrophic lakes majority of the organic matter channeled via metazooplankton to higher trophic levels may originate from the microbial loop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within food webs, trophically transmitted helminth parasites use predator-prey links for their own transfer from intermediate prey hosts, in which they occur as larval or juvenile stages, to predatory definitive hosts, in which they reach maturity. In large taxa that can be used as intermediate and/or definitive hosts, such as fish, a host species' position within a trophic network should determine whether its parasite fauna consists mostly of adult or larval helminths, since vulnerability to predation determines an animal's role in predator-prey links. Using a large database on the helminth parasites of 303 fish species, we tested whether the proportion of parasite species in a host that occur as larval or juvenile stages is best explained by their trophic level or by their body size. Independent of fish phylogeny or habitat, only fish body length emerged as a significant predictor of the proportion of parasites in a host that occur as larval stages from our multivariate analyses. On average, the proportion of larval helminth taxa in fish shorter than 20 cm was twice as high as that for fish over 100 cm in length. This is consistent with the prediction that small fishes, being more vulnerable to predation, make better hosts for larval parasites. However, trophic level and body length are strongly correlated among fish species, and they may have separate though confounded effects on the parasite fauna exploiting a given species. Helminths show varying levels of host specificity toward their intermediate host when the latter is the downstream host involved in trophic transmission toward an upstream definitive host. Given this broad physiological compatibility of many helminths with fish hosts, our results indicate that fish body length, as a proxy for vulnerability to predators, is a better predictor of their use by helminth larvae than their trophic level based on diet content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions between predators and prey organisms are of fundamental importance to ecological communities. While the ecological impact that grazing predators can have in terrestrial and temperate marine systems are well established, the importance of coral grazers on tropical reefs has rarely been considered. In this study, we estimate the biomass of coral tissue consumed by four prominent species of corallivorous butterflyfishes. Sub-adult butterflyfishes (60-70 mm, 6-11 g) remove between 0.6 and 0.9 g of live coral tissue per day, while larger adults (>110 mm, ~40-50 g) remove between 1.5 and 3 g of coral tissue each day. These individual consumption rates correspond to the population of coral-feeding butterflyfishes at three exposed reef crest habitats at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, consuming between 14.6 g (±2.0) and 19.6 g (±3.9) .200 m day of coral tissue. When standardised to the biomass of butterflyfishes present, a combined reefwide removal rate of 4.2 g (±1.2) of coral tissue is consumed per 200 m kg of coral-feeding butterflyfishes. The quantity of coral tissue removed by these predators is considerably larger than previously expected and indicates that coral grazers are likely to play an important role in the transfer of energy fixed by corals to higher consumers. Chronic coral consumption by butterflyfishes is expected to exact a large energetic cost upon prey corals and contribute to an increased rate of coral loss on reefs already threatened by anthropogenic pressure and ongoing climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seasonal dynamics of ciliate abundance has been studied in Lake Krivoye (the White Sea coast). A high species diversity of ciliates and their maximal biomass in the plankton are observed in the early spring in spite of low water temperatures (5-7°C). In spring, infusoria comprise 90% of the zooplankton biomass; i.e., infusoria as primary consumers are the main consumers of algal and microzooplankton production and the major carriers of energy to the next trophic level. During this period, a significant portion of planktonic infusoria biomass is constituted by the species containing zoochlorella. The high biomass of symbiotic algae (25% of the total biomass of planktonic algae) in a spring cilioplankton testifies to the important role that algosymbionts play in the primary production in some parts of the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Many studies have aimed to understand food webs by investigating components such as trophic links (one consumer taxon eats one resource taxon), tritrophic interactions (one consumer eats an intermediate taxon, which eats a resource), or longer chains of links. We show here that none of these components (links, tritrophic interactions, and longer chains), individually or as an ensemble, accounts fully for the properties of the next higher level of organization. As a cell is more than its molecules, as an organ is more than its cells, and as an organism is more than its organs, in a food web, new structure emerges at every organizational level up to and including the whole web. We demonstrate the emergence of properties at progressively higher levels of structure by using all of the directly observed, appropriately organized, publicly available food web datasets with relatively complete trophic link data and with average body mass and population density data for each taxon. There are only three such webs, those of Tuesday Lake, Michigan, in 1984 and 1986, and Ythan Estuary, Scotland. We make the data freely available online with this report. Differences in web patterns between Tuesday Lake and Ythan Estuary, and similarities of Tuesday Lake in 1984 and 1986 despite 50% turnover of species, suggest that the patterns we describe respond to major differences between ecosystem types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gulf of Aqaba (GoA), positioned between the Sinai Peninsula and the Saudi Arabian coast is characterized by its uniquely high saline, oligotrophic waters, and seasonally stratified hydrography. Despite its geographical significance, information on its zooplankton ecology and biodiversity is still meager. Hence, the present study was aimed to investigate the detailed diversity and ecology of the dominant carnivorous zooplankton taxon chaetognath in the pelagic waters of the GoA during summer. Despite the known water flow exchange between the GoA and the Red Sea, only five chaetognath species were observed in GoA which is markedly less than the number earlier recorded in the Red Sea, indicating the role of high saline water mass as an ecophysiological boundary for the inhabitance of many epipelagic chaetognaths. Euryhaline, Serratosagitta pacifica formed the dominant species in both the surface water and the upper 200 m water column and was observed to be the most suitable representative of this high saline environment. Conspicuous diel variability in the distribution of the different growth stages of chaetognaths in the surface waters can be attributed to their varied susceptibility to visually oriented predators. The positive relation observed in the abundance of chaetognaths and their main prey, copepods, and their carbon and nitrogen contents indicated their significance in the pelagic trophic ecology of the GoA. The present study, providing the ecology of a major zooplankton taxon of this unique basin will be relevant for understanding the ecology and trophodynamics of the zooplankton community of the GoA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diet analysis is a critical content of animal ecology and the diet analysis methods have been constantly improving and updating. Contrary to traditional methods of high labor intensity and low resolution, the next generation sequencing (NGS) approach has been suggested as a promising tool for dietary studies, which greatly improves the efficiency and broadens the application range. Here we present a framework of adopting NGS and DNA metabarcoding into diet analysis, and discuss the application in aspects of prey taxa composition and structure, intra-specific and inter-specific trophic links, and the effects of animal feeding on environmental changes. Yet, the generation of NGS-based diet data and subsequent analyses and interpretations are still challenging with several factors, making it possible still not as widely used as might be expected. We suggest that NGS-based diet methods must be furthered, analytical pipelines should be developed. More application perspectives, including nutrient geometry, metagenomics and nutrigenomics, need to be incorporated to encourage more ecologists to infer novel insights on they work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the biomass of the nocturnal fishes is almost same as that of diurnal fishes, most of the ecological studies that examine feeding or reproductive behaviors are on diurnal fishes. Therefore, there is limited ecological information regarding the nocturnal fishes. This fact may be attributed to the difficulty in observing them during darkness. Members of the genus Pempheris (Pempheridae) are one of the most abundant nocturnal fishes on coral reefs., Methods: The nighttime migrations of Pempheris schwenkii were observed by attaching a chemical luminescent tag. Tagged fishes were followed by an observer without torch and SCUBA, and their positions and estimated depths were plotted on an underwater topographic map. Aquarium tank observation was carried out to further describe their habits during the night., Results: The new tagging method provided good data for observing the migration behavior. In all five observations, the target fishes started nighttime migration from the entrance of their cave within 1 h after sunset. All of them immediately left the inner reef and spent most of the observation time near the surface (0-5 m depth) or shallow (5-15 m depth) water-columns of the outer reef. Their migration pattern varied between days, but they migrated long distance (379-786 m/h) during each observation. The behavior observed in the aquarium tank was categorized into five patterns: schooling, shaking, migrating, spawning, and feeding. Shaking and spawning were observed during one of three observation days., Discussion: The present study firstly clarified the small-scale but dynamic nocturnal migration pattern of P. schwenkii in nature by a new method using chemical luminescent tags. In addition, combined observations from nature and an aquarium could be used to estimate the behavior of this species. Pempheris schwenkii may reduce their predation risk of eggs and adults by spawning at outer reef in nighttime. It was estimated that they can potentially migrate 4-7 km/night. The rapid growth known for this species may have been supported by their feeding behavior where they can fill up their stomach every night with rich zooplankton in outer reefs. Furthermore, the behavior of this species indicates the possibility that they make an important contribution to the flow of energy and materials in their coral reef ecosystem., Competing Interests: Hideyuki Touma is employed by the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium., (© 2021 Koeda et al.)

Nutritional limitations may shape populations and communities of organisms. This phenomenon is often studied by treating populations and communities as pools of homogenous individuals with average nutritional optima and experiencing average constraints and trade-offs that influence their fitness in a standardized way. However, populations and communities consist of individuals belonging to different sexes, each with specific nutritional demands and limitations. Taking this into account, we used the ecological stoichiometry framework to study sexual differences in the stoichiometric phenotypes, reflecting stoichiometric niches, of four spider taxa differing in the hunting mode. The species and sexes differed fundamentally in their elemental phenotypes, including elements beyond those most commonly studied (C, N and P). Both species and sexes were distinguished by the C:N ratio and concentrations of Cu, K and Zn. Species additionally differed in concentrations of Na, Mg and Mn. Phosphorous was not involved in this differentiation. Sexual dimorphism in spiders' elemental phenotypes, related to differences in their stoichiometric niches, suggests different nutritional optima and differences in nutritional limitation experienced by different sexes and species. This may influence the structure and functioning of spider populations and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass spawning of corals provides a large seasonal pulse of high-energy prey that potentially benefits reef fish that are capable of capturing and digesting coral propagules. This study examines the range offish species that consume coral propagules and also tests whether reef fish experience a significant increase in physiological condition when feeding on coral propagules. Thirty-six species of diurnal reef fish were seen to consume coral propagules released during mass coralspawning. Stomach content analyses of three reef fish species (Pomacentrus moluccensis, Abudefduf whitleyi, and Caesio cunning) revealed that both P. moluccensis and A. whitleyi feed almost exclusively on coral propagules during mass coral spawning. Fish feeding extensively on coral propagules also amassed considerable lipid stores, which could greatly improve the quality and survivorship of their progeny. In contrast, C. cunning consumed only very small quantities of coral propagules, and showed no detectable change in lipid stores during the course of the study. This study provides the first direct evidence that reef fish benefit from mass coral spawning, and reveals a potentially significant trophic link between scleractinian corals and reef fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]