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Larval dispersal drives trophic structure across Pacific coral reefs
Species richness of predators in Pacific coral reef communities is less sensitive to habitat isolation than the species richness of their prey. Here, Stier et al. develop a colonization–extinction model to show that this pattern can be explained by limitations in prey dispersal at the larval stage.
- Adrian C. Stier
- , Andrew M. Hein
- & Michel Kulbicki
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| Open AccessBroad impacts of fine-scale dynamics on seascape structure from zooplankton to seabirds
Ocean circulations can strongly influence ecological dynamics in marine ecosystem over multiple spatial scales. Here, Bertrand et al.find that the majority of these interactions occur within small-scale hotspots that concentrate interactions across many trophic levels from zooplankton to seabirds.
- Arnaud Bertrand
- , Daniel Grados
- & Ronan Fablet
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Carbonate-hosted methanotrophy represents an unrecognized methane sink in the deep sea
Methane is a significant contributor to greenhouse forcing, and determining its fluxes and reservoirs is important in understanding the methane cycle. Here, the authors investigate microbial methane oxidation in carbonates of the deep sea that represent a previously unrecognized biological sink for methane.
- Jeffrey J. Marlow
- , Joshua A. Steele
- & Victoria J. Orphan
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Massive outbreaks of Noctiluca scintillans blooms in the Arabian Sea due to spread of hypoxia
Phytoplankton blooms in the northern Arabian Sea have shifted from diatoms to green dinoflagellates in the last decade. Here, the authors show that influx of oxygen deficient waters, together with the ability of dinoflagellates’ endosymbionts to fix carbon under such conditions, facilitated the bloom shift.
- Helga do Rosário Gomes
- , Joaquim I. Goes
- & Prasad Thoppil
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Methane production by phosphate-starved SAR11 chemoheterotrophic marine bacteria
Methane levels in the oceans’ surface waters are higher than those in the atmosphere, which is puzzling. Here the authors show that marine bacteria of the ubiquitous SAR11 group can release significant amounts of methane when feeding on phosphorus-containing compounds such as methylphosphonic acid.
- Paul Carini
- , Angelicque E. White
- & Stephen J. Giovannoni
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| Open AccessExtreme diving behaviour in devil rays links surface waters and the deep ocean
Many pelagic fishes and squids live at ocean depths below the euphotic zone but whether surface predators dive to these depths to feed on them is unclear. Here, the authors tag Chilean devil rays and demonstrate that they regularly make dives to at least 1,500 m, suggesting that the rays forage for food at these depths.
- Simon R. Thorrold
- , Pedro Afonso
- & Michael L. Berumen
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| Open AccessGlobal relationship between phytoplankton diversity and productivity in the ocean
The mechanisms that determine the relationship between diversity and productivity in marine phytoplankton remain unclear. Here, Vallina et al.show that selective predation and transient competitive exclusion determine phytoplankton community composition.
- S. M. Vallina
- , M. J. Follows
- & M. Loreau
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| Open AccessIntensification of the meridional temperature gradient in the Great Barrier Reef following the Last Glacial Maximum
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is under threat from rising ocean temperatures, yet its response to past temperature change is poorly known. Felis et al. show that the GBR experienced a much steeper temperature gradient during the last deglaciation, suggesting it may be more resilient than previously thought.
- Thomas Felis
- , Helen V. McGregor
- & Jody M. Webster
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| Open AccessSelective fishing induces density-dependent growth
The effects of fishing policies that adjust selectivity are unclear. Here, Svedäng and Hornborg show that fishing practices that increase selectivity of the Eastern Baltic cod have negatively affected its productivity, suggesting that fishing policies should prioritize catch rates over yield.
- Henrik Svedäng
- & Sara Hornborg
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| Open AccessThe effectiveness of coral reefs for coastal hazard risk reduction and adaptation
The risks of flooding to coastal communities are increasing due to coastal development and climate change. Here, the authors use meta-analyses to quantitatively show that coral reefs can significantly reduce risks from natural hazards, and that reef defences can be enhanced cost effectively.
- Filippo Ferrario
- , Michael W. Beck
- & Laura Airoldi
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| Open AccessCascading ecological effects of eliminating fishery discards
Discards from fishing vessels are food for scavenging species, so ending the practice may have ecological consequences. Here, Heath et al. show that improving selectivity so that unwanted fish are not caught, achieves conservation benefits, while simply requiring that vessels land their entire catch, does not.
- Michael R. Heath
- , Robin M. Cook
- & Douglas C. Speirs
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Genomic adaptations of the halophilic Dead Sea filamentous fungus Eurotium rubrum
The filamentous fungus Eurotium rubrum is one of the few organisms able to survive in the hypersaline Dead Sea. Here Kis-Papo et al. provide genomic and transcriptomic data that reveal potential cellular and metabolic mechanisms underlying adaptation to hypersaline stress in E. rubrum.
- Tamar Kis-Papo
- , Alfons R. Weig
- & Eviatar Nevo
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| Open AccessFaster growth of the major prokaryotic versus eukaryotic CO2 fixers in the oligotrophic ocean
After the energetically superior eukaryotes had evolved, prokaryotes appeared to lose control over biological CO2 fixation in all major biomes on Earth. Here the author shows that in the oligotrophic ocean, the most extensive biome on Earth, the prokaryotes fix CO2twice as fast as eukaryotes.
- Mikhail V. Zubkov
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| Open AccessCorals record long-term Leeuwin current variability including Ningaloo Niño/Niña since 1795
El Niño Southern Oscillation has a strong impact on current strength and ocean temperatures off the western Australian coast, but long-term variability is poorly understood. Zinke et al.show a strong link between La Niña and El Niño events and decadal Leeuwin current variability in coral records since 1795.
- J. Zinke
- , A. Rountrey
- & M.T. McCulloch
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| Open AccessGreenhouse conditions induce mineralogical changes and dolomite accumulation in coralline algae on tropical reefs
Ocean acidification is affecting the stability of coral reefs, but the exact mineralogical response is poorly understood. Diaz-Pulido et al.show that, under warming conditions, the relative abundance of dolomite increases by as much as 200% and could therefore slow the climate-induced break-up of coral reefs.
- Guillermo Diaz-Pulido
- , Merinda C. Nash
- & Ulrike Troitzsch
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| Open AccessLarge mesopelagic fishes biomass and trophic efficiency in the open ocean
Mesopelagic fishes dominate the global fishes biomass, yet there exist major uncertainties regarding their global biomass. Irigoien et al.analyse acoustic data collected during a circumglobal cruise and show that biomass estimates should be raised by an order of magnitude.
- Xabier Irigoien
- , T. A. Klevjer
- & S. Kaartvedt
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Microbial iron uptake as a mechanism for dispersing iron from deep-sea hydrothermal vents
Iron emitted from hydrothermal vents is stabilized by organic matter and dispersed into the world ocean, yet the pathways leading to iron–carbon interactions are unknown. Dick et al.propose that a new ‘microbial iron pump’ is responsible for converting hydrothermal iron into bioavailable forms.
- Meng Li
- , Brandy M. Toner
- & Gregory J. Dick
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Evolution of long-toothed fishes and the changing nature of fish–benthos interactions on coral reefs
Little is known about the evolution of the feeding ecology of coral reef fishes. Here, Bellwood et al.show that the tooth shape of coral reef fishes has remained unchanged for 240 million years, with the exception of the emergence of a distinct long-toothed form within the last 40 million years.
- David R. Bellwood
- , Andrew S. Hoey
- & Christopher H.R. Goatley
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Modern Antarctic acorn worms form tubes
Acorn worms, or enteropneusts, are a group of hemichordates whose modern representatives are thought to be tubeless. Here Halaynch et al. provide evidence for modern tube-forming acorn worms found in Antarctic benthic communities.
- Kenneth M. Halanych
- , Johanna T. Cannon
- & Craig R. Smith
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Cumulative human impacts on marine predators
Human activities affect marine predators in complex ways, yet we lack spatial understanding of cumulative impacts across key habitats. Here the authors analyse distribution and movements of eight marine predators, and find that species and human impacts vary across space and overlap within marine sanctuaries.
- Sara M. Maxwell
- , Elliott L. Hazen
- & Daniel P. Costa
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Deoxygenation alters bacterial diversity and community composition in the ocean’s largest oxygen minimum zone
Oxygen minimum zones in the global ocean have an important role in biogeochemical cycles, yet their response to climate change is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that bacterial community composition is tightly coupled to dissolved oxygen and is likely to fundamentally change as the oceans warm.
- J. Michael Beman
- & Molly T. Carolan
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Marine protected area improves yield without disadvantaging fishers
Potential fishery benefits of Marine Protected Areas are widely acknowledged, yet their impact on fishery dynamics remains poorly understood. Here the authors provide evidence that Marine Protected Areas can rapidly increase catch rates in adjacent areas, without measurable disadvantages for fishers.
- Sven E. Kerwath
- , Henning Winker
- & Colin G. Attwood
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Turbulence drives microscale patches of motile phytoplankton
Patchiness in the distribution of phytoplankton promotes many of the ecological interactions that underpin the marine food web. This study shows that turbulence, ubiquitous in the ocean, counter-intuitively ‘unmixes’ a population of motile phytoplankton, generating intense, small-scale patchiness in its distribution.
- William M. Durham
- , Eric Climent
- & Roman Stocker
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| Open AccessHuman deforestation outweighs future climate change impacts of sedimentation on coral reefs
Forest cover up-river influences the sediments reaching coral reefs, but how this relationship is affected by future climate change is not clear. In a study of the Malagasy coral reefs, Maina et al.find that regional land-use management is more important than mediating climate change for reducing reef sedimentation.
- Joseph Maina
- , Hans de Moel
- & Jan E. Vermaat
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| Open AccessCaribbean-wide decline in carbonate production threatens coral reef growth
Coral reef health is declining globally and is projected to lead to net loss of reef structure. This study shows that ecological change across the Caribbean has reduced reef growth rates to levels lower than those measured over the last ~8,000 years, threatening the ability of reefs to keep pace with future sea-level rise.
- Chris T. Perry
- , Gary N. Murphy
- & Peter J. Mumby
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| Open AccessSocial networks reveal cultural behaviour in tool-using dolphins
Whether humans are the only animals with cultural behaviour remains an open question in behavioural research. Here, a network analysis of the social preferences among bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia finds that tool-using dolphins prefer others like themselves, suggesting the presence of cultural behaviour.
- Janet Mann
- , Margaret A. Stanton
- & Lisa O. Singh
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The oceanic biological pump modulates the atmospheric transport of persistent organic pollutants to the Arctic
Persistent organic pollutants can reach and pollute pristine environments, such as the Arctic Ocean, through atmospheric transport. This study shows that the oceanic biological pump can sequester atmospheric polychlorinated biphenyls, reducing the transport of pollutants to the Arctic Ocean.
- Cristóbal Galbán-Malagón
- , Naiara Berrojalbiz
- & Jordi Dachs
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| Open AccessGene-associated markers provide tools for tackling illegal fishing and false eco-certification
Catch certificates and eco-labels are used to control illegal fishing worldwide, however, independent control methods are needed. Here, gene-associated SNPs are used to assign individual marine fish back to their population of origin with high precision, with potential application for illegal fishing control.
- Einar E. Nielsen
- , Alessia Cariani
- & Gary R. Carvalho
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Past daily light cycle recorded in the strontium/calcium ratios of giant clam shells
A record of the daily light cycle in tropical regions is difficult to extract from biogenic marine carbonates such as shells. Here, the precise analysis of Sr/Ca ratios is shown in a cultivated giant clam shell, revealing variations that reflect the daily light cycle and the potential for future development of a proxy.
- Yuji Sano
- , Sayumi Kobayashi
- & Kenji Iwai
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| Open AccessHydrothermal vent fields and chemosynthetic biota on the world's deepest seafloor spreading centre
The Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre is an ultraslow-spreading mid-ocean ridge in the Caribbean. This study reveals two hydrothermal vent fields on the ridge, including high-temperature vents on an off-axis oceanic core complex where, similar to Mid-Atlantic vents, an alvinocaridid shrimp is common at both vent fields.
- Douglas P. Connelly
- , Jonathan T. Copley
- & Sally Wilcox
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Silver hake tracks changes in Northwest Atlantic circulation
Many organisms are responding to a warming climate by shifts in spatial distribution. The poleward movement of silver hake,Merluccius bilinearis, over the last forty years is related to the position of the Gulf Stream and Atlantic meridional overturning circulation through changes in local bottom water temperature.
- Janet A. Nye
- , Terrence M. Joyce
- & Jason S. Link
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| Open AccessPhytoplankton growth after a century of dormancy illuminates past resilience to catastrophic darkness
Global darkness from an asteroid impact 65.5 million years ago led to massive extinction of oceanic phytoplankton, but coastal groups survived. Ribeiroet al.revive coastal dinoflagellates after a century of dormancy, suggesting phytoplankton survived the extinction and helped restore photosynthesis in the ocean.
- Sofia Ribeiro
- , Terje Berge
- & Marianne Ellegaard
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Growth rates of Florida corals from 1937 to 1996 and their response to climate change
Ocean acidification due to increasing carbon dioxide levels can affect the growth and viability of corals. In this study, the authors measured extension, calcification and density in Florida corals collected in 1996, and show that recent climate change did not cause a decline in their extension or calcification.
- Kevin P. Helmle
- , Richard E. Dodge
- & C. Mark Eakin
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A bacterial proteorhodopsin proton pump in marine eukaryotes
Proteorhodopsin is used by prokaryotes to generate energy from light. In this study, the authors describe a prokaryote-to-eukaryote horizontal gene transfer of a bacterial proteorhodopsin gene to dinoflagellates, suggesting that these eukaryotes can also use proteorhodopsin to obtain light and produce energy.
- Claudio H. Slamovits
- , Noriko Okamoto
- & Patrick J. Keeling
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Historical land use change has lowered terrestrial silica mobilization
Continental export of silicon to the coast is linked to ocean carbon sinks, but terrestrial silicon fluxes have not been quantified. Here, human deforestation and cultivation of the landscape are shown to be the most important factors in silicon mobilization in temperate European watersheds.
- Eric Struyf
- , Adriaan Smis
- & Patrick Meire
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| Open AccessDiscovery of a black smoker vent field and vent fauna at the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge
The Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge spreads extremely slowly and hydrothermal vent fields have not been reported in its vicinity. Pedersenet al. describe a black smoker vent field with large hydrothermal deposits and novel fauna distinct from those found in similar environments in the Atlantic.
- Rolf B. Pedersen
- , Hans Tore Rapp
- & Steffen L. Jorgensen
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| Open AccessSecond-generation environmental sequencing unmasks marine metazoan biodiversity
Recent developments in sequencing technologies have provided the opportunity to investigate the biodiversity of ecosystems. Such a metagenomic approach, combined with taxon clustering, is used here to demonstrate that the species richness of a marine community in Scotland is much greater than anticipated.
- Vera G. Fonseca
- , Gary R. Carvalho
- & Simon Creer
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The effects of 118 years of industrial fishing on UK bottom trawl fisheries
Fish stocks in the ocean are known to be under threat. Here, using government data describing commercial fish landings, Thurstan and colleagues show that these stocks began to decline rapidly in the 1970s.
- Ruth H. Thurstan
- , Simon Brockington
- & Callum M. Roberts
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Deep-sea hydrothermal vent animals seek cool fluids in a highly variable thermal environment
Many animals adapt their behaviour according to their surroundings. Here, Bateset al.show that animals living in deep-sea hydrothermal vents choose habitats within their thermal limits.
- Amanda E Bates
- , Raymond W Lee
- & Miles D Lamare