Colony Off Research Articles

Boldness predicts foraging behaviour, habitat use and chick growth in a central place marine predator

Animal personality can shape individual’s fitness. Yet, the mechanistic relationship by which individual’s personality traits lead to variations in fitness remains largely underexplored. Here, we used novel object tests to measure boldness of chick-provisioning Cory’s shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) from a coastal colony off west Portugal, and deployed GPS loggers to study their at-sea behaviour and distribution. We then tested whether boldness predicts individual differences in adult’s trophic ecology and variations in chick growth, to assess potential implications of personality-specific foraging behaviours. Foraging effort was higher for shyer than for bolder individuals, which, during short forays, exhibited larger foraging ranges, and foraged in regions of higher and more variable bathymetry. This suggests that nearby the colony bolder individuals expanded their foraging area to maximize resource acquisition and increase the probability of foraging success. When endeavouring to longer distances, bolder individuals exhibited comparably shorter foraging ranges and targeted low bathymetry regions, likely with enhanced prey availability, while shyer individuals exhibited much larger foraging ranges indicating greater flexibility when foraging in oceanic realms. Despite such differences between bolder and shyer individuals their isotopic niches were similar. Yet, chicks raised by bolder parents grew at a faster rate than those raised by shyer parents. Together, our results suggest that differences in resource acquisition strategies could play a key role through which individual’s boldness may influence breeding performance, even when individuals have similar isotopic preferences.

Minimizing Taxonomic and Natural Product Redundancy in Microbial Libraries Using MALDI-TOF MS and the Bioinformatics Pipeline IDBac.

Libraries of microorganisms have been a cornerstone of drug discovery efforts since the mid-1950s, but strain duplication in some libraries has resulted in unwanted natural product redundancy. In the current study, we implemented a workflow that minimizes both the natural product overlap and the total number of bacterial isolates in a library. Using a collection expedition to Iceland as an example, we purified every distinct bacterial colony off isolation plates derived from 86 environmental samples. We employed our mass spectrometry (MS)-based IDBac workflow on these isolates to form groups of taxa based on protein MS fingerprints (3-15 kDa) and further distinguished taxa subgroups based on their degree of overlap within corresponding natural product spectra (0.2-2 kDa). This informed the decision to create a library of 301 isolates spanning 54 genera. This process required only 25 h of data acquisition and 2 h of analysis. In a separate experiment, we reduced the size of an existing library based on the degree of metabolic overlap observed in natural product MS spectra of bacterial colonies (from 833 to 233 isolates, a 72.0% size reduction). Overall, our pipeline allows for a significant reduction in costs associated with library generation and minimizes natural product redundancy entering into downstream biological screening efforts.

Small-Scale Patterns in the Distribution and Condition of Bamboo Coral, Keratoisis grayi, in Submarine Canyons on the Grand Banks, Newfoundland

Keratoisis grayi is one of the most abundant large gorgonian corals found off Newfoundland and Labrador, yet we know little regarding the factors influencing its distribution, abundance, and condition. We employed in-situ data collected in three canyons off the Grand Banks, Newfoundland to quantitatively examine the influence of depth, bottom type, canyon, and trawling intensity on K. grayi abundance, height, and condition at small spatial scales. While surveying 105 km of seafloor with a remotely operated vehicle, we observed 5770 K. grayi colonies and 167 trawl marks. We found that K. grayi were significantly more likely to occur in boulder areas than in cobble or gravel. Bottom depth related positively and significantly with colony height and our models predict that the largest bamboo coral colonies occur in boulders in Halibut Channel, and in boulders and cobble in Haddock Channel. The majority of colonies observed were alive and undamaged, but tipped, broken, dead and partially dead colonies were also recorded. Keratoisis grayi were more likely to occur in trawled areas, but these colonies were more likely to be damaged, broken, smaller in size, and less abundant than colonies outside trawled areas. These results demonstrate a negative impact of bottom trawling on K. grayi colonies off Newfoundland and Labrador and that fishers may specifically target areas where these corals occur.

Development of monoclonal antibodies specific to ToxA and ToxB of Vibrio parahaemolyticus that cause acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND)

Toxin A (ToxA) and toxin B (ToxB) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which cause acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), were prepared in a bacterial supernatant from Chinese isolates (CN-VPAHPND) by washing bacterial colonies off of TSA cultures. The supernatant was subsequently used in mouse immunization to produce monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Three groups of MAbs were selected: one MAb specific to ToxA, two MAbs specific to ToxB and one MAb specific to V. parahaemolyticus (CN-VPAHPND). The MAbs specific to ToxA and ToxB recognized all 10 VPAHPND isolates from China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand, but did not bind to the 20 non-VPAHPND isolates from various other sources, including Vibrio spp. and other bacteria. The MAbs specific to toxins were used to detect the recombinant proteins of His-tagged ToxA and GST-ToxB with sensitivities of 200fmolspot−1 and 10fmolspot−1, respectively, as determined by dot-ELISA. The MAbs were used to detect the toxins produced by bacteria or shrimp tissue lysate spiked with bacteria in a complex tissue sample at concentrations as low as 1CFUml−1 after pre-enrichment of the bacteria for 6h. The third group of MAb was specific to CN-VPAHPND isolate but did not recognize the other 9 out of 10 VPAHPND isolates from Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. However, this MAb demonstrated cross-reactivity to 1 out of 20 of the non-VPAHPND isolates and 3 out of 9 of the V. alginolyticus isolates. These findings indicate that the AHPND epidemic in Southeast Asia was not caused by the CN-VPAHPND isolate. The MAbs specific to ToxA and ToxB produced in this study could be used to detect both toxins directly by dot blotting.

Population Genetic Structure of the Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens (Aves, Suliformes) Breeding Colonies in the Western Atlantic Ocean.

The Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens has a pantropical distribution, nesting on islands along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. In the Caribbean, there is little genetic structure among colonies; however, the genetic structure among the colonies off Brazil and its relationship with those in the Caribbean are unknown. In this study, we used mtDNA and microsatellite markers to infer population structure and evolutionary history in a sample of F. magnificens individuals collected in Brazil, Grand Connétable (French Guyana), and Barbuda. Virtually all Brazilian individuals had the same mtDNA haplotype. There was no haplotype sharing between Brazil and the Caribbean, though Grand Connétable shared haplotypes with both regions. A Bayesian clustering analysis using microsatellite data found two genetic clusters: one associated with Barbuda and the other with the Brazilian populations. Grand Connétable was more similar to Barbuda but had ancestry from both clusters, corroborating its “intermediate” position. The Caribbean and Grand Connétable populations showed higher genetic diversity and effective population size compared to the Brazilian population. Overall, our results are in good agreement with an effect of marine winds in isolating the Brazilian meta-population.

Complete Genome Sequence of Vibrio coralliilyticus Strain OCN014, Isolated from a Diseased Coral at Palmyra Atoll.

Vibrio coralliilyticus is a marine gammaproteobacterium that has been implicated as an etiological agent of disease for multiple coral genera on reefs worldwide. We report the complete genome of V. coralliilyticus strain OCN014, isolated from a diseased Acropora cytherea colony off the western reef terrace of Palmyra Atoll.

Captura incidental de um leão-marinho-sul-americano na pesca de arrasto de parelha no sul do Brasil

The population of the South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens (Shaw, 1800), in Uruguay is declining at an annual rate of 1.6 to 2.0%. Although the reasons are still unknown, interactions with fishing activities have been identified as a major cause. The individuals that arrive along the coast of Brazil come from the breeding colonies off Uruguay after their breeding period. We report here the first record of incidental catch of South American sea lions in Brazilian waters by a pair trawl. On July 17th, 2008 a young male of South American sea lion was incidentally caught during a commercial pair trawl fishing trip along the southern Brazilian coast (32o57’S, 52o31’W), in a depth ranging from 15 to 20 m. Despite being punctual, this record is an evidence of a potential major threat to South American sea lions in southern Brazil and Uruguay, since trawl industrial fishing is a very important economic activity in South Brazil. Keywords: Pinnipeds, Otaria flavescens , human impact, human-carnivore conflicts, fishery interactions.

The value of oviposition timing, queen presence and kinship in a social insect

Reproductive cooperation confers benefits, but simultaneously creates conflicts among cooperators. Queens in multi-queen colonies of ants share a nest and its resources, but reproductive competition among queens often results in unequal reproduction. Two mutually non-exclusive factors may produce such inequality in reproduction: worker intervention or queen traits. Workers may intervene by favouring some queens over others, owing to either kinship or queen signals. Queens may differ in their intrinsic fecundity at the onset of oviposition or in their timing of the onset of oviposition, leading to their unequal representation in the brood. Here, we test the role of queen kin value (relatedness) to workers, timing of the onset of oviposition and signals of presence by queens in determining the maternity of offspring. We show that queens of the ant Formica fusca gained a significantly higher proportion of sexuals in the brood when ovipositing early, and that the presence of a caged queen resulted in a significant increase in both her share of sexual brood and her overall reproductive share. Moreover, the lower the kin value of the queen, the more the workers invested in their own reproduction by producing males. Our results show that both kinship and breeding phenology influence the outcome of reproductive conflicts, and the balance of direct and indirect fitness benefits in the multi-queen colonies of F. fusca.

Inter-breeding movements of common guillemots (Uria aalge) suggest the Barents Sea is an important autumn staging and wintering area

Seabird movements outside the breeding season are generally poorly known, but can cover thousands of square km and a multitude of habitats, feeding conditions and potential threats. During the last decades, many seabird species in the North Atlantic have experienced large reductions in population size and breeding success, probably caused by reduced prey abundance caused by climate alterations and overfishing. One of these seabird species is the common guillemot. We used global location sensors (geolocators) to identify inter-breeding movements of 10 individuals breeding at Sklinna, a colony off the coast of Central Norway during July 2009–July 2010. All individuals moved northwards after breeding, and eight of them (80 %) entered the Barents Sea where they probably completed their moult. Three individuals moved southwards before the winter, but in total, half of the individuals stayed in the Barents Sea during winter. The other half wintered off the coast of Central Norway–Lofoten. The fact that all individuals moved northwards to winter was surprising as ringing recoveries suggest they also moves southwards (to the Skagerrak area) to winter. This suggests variation (individual or annual) in wintering movements and calls for a multi-year geolocator study at a number of colonies. Much of the area in the Barents Sea–Lofoten area is classified as vulnerable with respect to specific environmental pressures such as oil pollution and other anthropogenic factors, and the importance of the Barents Sea as a major wintering area for common guillemots from central Norway certainly has implications for the management authorities.

Carbon isotopic composition of Trichodesmium spp. colonies off Bermuda: effects of colony mass and season

Colonies of Trichodesmium spp. are conspicuous, macroscopic components of the life in tropical and subtropical oceans. The large size and the morphology of the colony raise questions regarding the mechanism of carbon supply for photosynthesis. Constraints on these mechanisms may be indicated by the stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) that reflects the balance between carbon supply and speciation, as well as the growth rate and colony size. The δ13C of Trichodesmium off Bermuda measured here revealed a strong correlation between size of individual colonies and season. The smallest colonies, 2–7 μg C colony−1, showed the lightest δ13C composition (∼−19‰), increasing to asymptotic values of ∼−12‰ above 7 μg C colony−1. The average δ13C of the colonies was lightest immediately after the onset of stratification in the Sargasso Sea, gradually increasing by ∼4‰ to heavier values during the summer. We propose that the mass effect is due to increased use of HCO3− by the larger colonies, whereas the seasonal influence may be related to changes in irradiance and pCO2 affecting the internal carbon cycling.

Status of grey seals along mainland Europe from the Southwestern Baltic to France

The grey seal was a common species along mainland Europe during the Stone Age (8,000-5,500 BC). Along the North Sea coast populations started to decline substantially during the 11th century as a result of excessive hunting. The last breeding populations disappeared in the 16th century in the Wadden Sea, and before 1900 in the Kattegat-Skagerrak and the Southwestern Baltic as a result of an extermination campaign. No regular pupping occurred along mainland Europe until the end of the 1970s, when a breeding colony was established near Amrum in the German Wadden Sea. Somewhat later, additional breeding sites were discovered near Terschelling in the Dutch Wadden Sea (1980), at Helgoland, and off Brittany in France. Tracking of movements indicate these seal groups to be linked to the larger populations in the UK. Numbers of grey seals in the recolonised areas have increased over the years, but in the Kattegat-Skagerrak stable numbersof about 25 individuals have been observed since the 1970s, whereas more than 100 grey seals are found in the Southwestern Baltic. In the southeastern North Sea, 120 grey seals occur during moult at Helgoland, 120 in the German and over 1,130 in the Dutch parts of the Wadden Sea in 2004. Along the southern Dutch and Belgian coasts small groups are regularly observed, but no colonies have yet been established. In the colonies off Brittany in France about 105 grey seals have been counted. Successful pupping has only been recorded 3 times in the Kattegat-Skagerrak over the past 30 years, and 2-4 pups are born annually in France and the Southwestern Baltic. The relative strongholds for breeding along the European continent are the Dutch Wadden Sea, where in 2003/2004 at least 150 pups were recorded, Amrum in the German Wadden Sea (23 pups) and Helgoland (8 pups). Consequently, total numbers of counted grey seals from the Southwestern Baltic to France amounted to at least 1,600 in 2004, while about 190 pups were born in the area.

Postbreeding Movements of Frigatebirds Tracked with Satellite Telemetry

AbstractUsing satellite telemetry, we studied the postbreeding movements of Great (Fregata minor) and Magnificent Frigatebirds (F. magnificens) at two breeding colonies in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. After breeding failure, 67% of the birds with satellite transmitters remained on the breeding colonies and continued to perform foraging trips similar to those undertaken while breeding. Two Magnificent Frigatebirds that bred at a colony off the coast of French Guiana moved west along the coast of South America, and one of the two reached Trinidad 1400 km away. One Great Frigatebird moved 4400 km from Europa Island in the Mozambique Channel to the Maldive Islands. It roosted there for at least four months, making foraging trips of up to 240 km, mainly to an area known for its high concentration of tuna. These results show that frigatebirds are able to make rapid and directed long-distance dispersal movements to other colonies or roosting sites, although the majority of birds remain based on breeding colonies.

Postbreeding Movements of Frigatebirds Tracked with Satellite Telemetry

Abstract Using satellite telemetry, we studied the postbreeding movements of Great (Fregata minor) and Magnificent Frigatebirds (F. magnificens) at two breeding colonies in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. After breeding failure, 67% of the birds with satellite transmitters remained on the breeding colonies and continued to perform foraging trips similar to those undertaken while breeding. Two Magnificent Frigatebirds that bred at a colony off the coast of French Guiana moved west along the coast of South America, and one of the two reached Trinidad 1400 km away. One Great Frigatebird moved 4400 km from Europa Island in the Mozambique Channel to the Maldive Islands. It roosted there for at least four months, making foraging trips of up to 240 km, mainly to an area known for its high concentration of tuna. These results show that frigatebirds are able to make rapid and directed long-distance dispersal movements to other colonies or roosting sites, although the majority of birds remain based on breeding colo...

Development of Genetic Techniques for the Psychrotrophic Fish Pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum

Flavobacterium psychrophilum, a member of the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides group, is an important pathogen of salmonid fish. Previous attempts to develop genetic techniques for this fastidious, psychrotrophic bacterium have met with failure. Here we describe the development of techniques for the genetic manipulation of F. psychrophilum and the identification of plasmids, selectable markers, a reporter system, and a transposon that function in several isolates of this fish pathogen. The antibiotic resistance genes ermF, cfxA, and tetQ function in F. psychrophilum. Cloning vectors based on the F. psychrophilum cryptic plasmid pCP1 which carried these selectable markers were introduced by conjugation from E. coli, resulting in antibiotic-resistant colonies of F. psychrophilum. Conjugative transfer of DNA into F. psychrophilum was strain dependent. Efficient transfer was observed for two of the seven strains tested (THC02-90 and THC04-90). E. coli lacZY functioned in F. psychrophilum when expressed from a pCP1 promoter, allowing its development as a reporter for studies of gene expression. Plasmids isolated from F. psychrophilum were efficiently introduced into F. psychrophilum by electroporation, but plasmids isolated from E. coli were not suitable for transfer by this route, suggesting the presence of a restriction barrier. DNA isolated from F. psychrophilum was resistant to digestion by Sau3AI and BamHI, indicating that a Sau3AI-like restriction modification system may constitute part of this barrier. Tn4351 was introduced into F. psychrophilum from E. coli and transposed with apparent randomness, resulting in erythromycin-resistant colonies. The techniques developed in this study allow for genetic manipulation and analysis of this important fish pathogen.

Predation on marine-phase Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) by gannets (Morus bassanus) in the Northwest Atlantic

Predation on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) has been recorded in rivers and estuaries, but there is little documentation of predation at sea. Prey landed by gannets (Morus bassanus) over 24 years in a large colony off northeast Newfoundland included small proportions of post-smolt Atlantic salmon. Before 1990, when shifts in oceanographic conditions and pelagic food webs occurred in the Labrador Sea, post-smolts, on average, made up 0.29% of estimated intake by gannets during August 1977–1989. In contrast, during the 1990s, this estimate increased to 2.53%, peaking at 6.37% in 1993. Model estimates with wide error margins projected that gannets consumed a mean of 1.6 t and 19.2 t of post-smolts during August 1977–1989 and 1990–2000, respectively, making up 0.22% and 2.70% of estimated North American post-smolt biomass during these periods. The migratory routes of post-smolt Atlantic salmon pass through the foraging ranges of gannet colonies, but limited sampling at colonies other than Funk has not revealed salmon in gannet diets. Sampling seabird diets is an economic, biological means of investigating the ecology and natural mortality of Atlantic salmon. Spatial and temporal expansion of this sampling would enhance its oceanographic context and reduce uncertainty associated with estimates of predation by seabirds.

Fish preference by the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), with implications for the control of damage to fishing gear

This study compares food preference for different fish species by harbour seals in a seal colony off the northwest coast of Sweden. Seals were offered several different species of dead fish in net cages and showed a preference for herring, gadids and flatfish. Other fish such as eel and eelpout were mostly rejected. Five-bearded rockling, bullrout and small labrids were always rejected. Seal visits occurred at only 30% of the total number of feeding opportunities, in spite of the fact that seals were constantly present in the area. The temporal and spatial aggregation of the pattern of seal visits to the cages was not randomly distributed. This study suggests that only a minority of the seals in the area used the baited cages and that the feeding preferences could be a result of specialised prey selection. This has important implications for the choice of appropriate management options to control seal damage of fishing gear. It is predicted that it may be a more successful and efficient option to focus on those individual seals found in the vicinity of the fishing gear, rather than to carry out random culling amongst the whole population.

The Establishment of a New Brown Noddy Anous stolidus Breeding Colony off South-Western Australia

SummaryA new breeding colony of the Brown Noddy, which started on Lancelin Island in south-western Australia around 1991, expanded exponentially between 1994–95 and 1996–97. This growth in the number of breeding pairs resulted from the immigration of noddies from another breeding area, probably the Houtman Abrolhos 275 km to the north. In the 1996–97 breeding season there were two distinct waves of laying. The initial laying period, which had occurred in the previous two seasons, peaked in early November and was more synchronous than the second one. The second wave peaked in early December and resulted from laying by new arrivals with probably some re-laying from earlier losses. There was a significant reduction in clutch volume after the first 15 days of laying. Factors which may have produced a decline in egg size later in the season are discussed.

Cold-water corals—are they hydrocarbon seep related?

Numerous cold-water ahermatypic coral reefs (so-called Lophelia reefs), up to 30m high, 150m wide and 400m long, occur at waterdepths from 100 to 350 m off Mid Norway. After the discovery of relatively high interstitial methane concentrations (204 ppb) in sediments collected at the base of one of these reef structures a causative link between the presence of the reefs and local micro-seepage through seabed of light hydrocarbons is here suggested. Shallow seismic records gathered across this and other reef colonies off Mid Norway also indicate the existence of gas-charged sediments below the reefs.

Fenestulipora, gen. nov., an unusual Cyclostome Bryozoan from New Zealand and Indonesia

The distinctive cyclostome bryozoan Tubulipora cassiformis Harmer, 1915, is revised and made the type species of the new monospecific genus Fenestulipora. The characteristic reticulate colonies of F. cassiformis form planar filtration meshworks comprising primary branches, with biserially arranged feeding zooids opening on one side of the meshwork, linked by lateral kenozooidal dissepiments. This colonial morphology is reminiscent of the diverse but distantly related Palaeozoic bryozoan Fenestellawith which the new genus is compared and contrasted. The geographical distribution of Fenestulipora cassiformis is unusual, comprising two tropical records from Indonesia and three temperate records from New Zealand, all in deep or moderately deep water.

Host nest usurpation and colony foundation in the European amazon ant,Polyergus rufescens Latr. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The socially parasitic mode of founding new colonies by queens of the European amazon antPolyergus rufescens was analysed in the laboratory. Newly-mated females of this obligatory slave-maker were individually introduced into queenright and queenless artificially established colonies of bothFormica cunicularia (the slave present in the natal dulotic nest) andF. rufibarbis (another potentialServiformica host). Particular attention was devoted to the behavioural patterns displayed by these young queens during the usurpation phases. Our observations, supported also by video-taping, show that the slave-making female, before laying her eggs, must penetrate the host colony, kill the resident queen, become accepted by the adult workers and appropriate the host brood. The parasite was almost always adopted in the colonies ofF. cunicularia, whereas in the presence ofF. rufibarbis it was generally killed in a short time. The failure in the attempt of usurping the colonies ofF. rufibarbis is discussed in relation to the host specificity typical of this slave-maker. Finally, egg-laying byPolyergus successful usurpers, the subsequent eclosion of the brood, and its complete social integration in the newly-established mixed colonies were also recorded.