Biological characteristics of the hydrological landscapes in the Bay of Biscay in spring 2009

In the present study we investigated the biogeography of macrozooplankton and fish biomass in the Bay of Biscay. In this region, we defined six different landscapes based on the hydrogeographical characteristics observed in spring 2009. We then related landscape's characteristics and environmental parameters such as light attenuation depth and chlorophyll‐a with macrozooplankton and fish acoustic biomass. Hydrodynamic structures together with coastal influences (river discharges, predation pressure and depth preference) and vertical thermohaline structure/mixing (feeding modes and ability to stay in preferred layers) appeared as the main factors determining the biological distribution. Besides, variance partitioning was used to assess the respective roles played by the hydrological environment, the geographical space and the biological environment alone, and their interactions. Results revealed that: (i) macrozooplankton and fish have a preference for different hydrogeographical landscapes; (ii) the association between hydrological conditions and geographical features, i.e. the spatial structure of the hydrological environment, plays a key role in the distribution of macrozooplankton; and (iii) prey–predator relationships have to be taken into account to provide a comprehensive characterization of habitat suitability.     

Sorghum bicolor prioritizes the recovery of its photosynthetic activity when re-watered after severe drought stress,while manages to preserve it under elevated CO2 and drought

Understanding plant response and resilience to drought under a high CO₂ environment will be crucial to ensure crop production in the future. Sorghum bicolor is a C₄ plant that resists drought better than other crops, which could make it a good alternative to be grown under future climatic conditions. Here, we analyse the physiological response of sorghum under 350 ppm CO₂ (aCO₂) or 700 ppm CO₂ (eCO₂) with drought (D) or without drought (WW) for 9, 13 and 16 days; as well as its resilience under long (R1: 9D + 7R) or short (R2: 13D + 3R) recovery treatments. Sorghum showed elevated rates of gs under aCO₂ and WW, which resulted in a significant decrease in Ψ_w, gs, E, Φ_PSII, F_v’/F_m′ when exposed to drought. Consequently, A was greatly decreased. When re-watered, both re-watering treatments prioritized A recovery by restoring photosynthetic machinery under aCO₂, whereas under eCO₂ plants required little recovery since plant were hardly affected by drought. However, sorghum growth rate for aboveground organs did not reach control values, indicating a slower long-term recovery. Overall, these results provide information about the resilience of sorghum and its utility as a suitable candidate for the drought episodes of the future.     

Four Thousand Years of Atmospheric Pb,Cd and Zn Deposition Recorded by the Ombrotrophic Peat Bog of Penido Vello (Northwestern Spain)

The Northwestern Iberian Peninsula is a mid-latitude oceanic region with areas where different types of bogs are frequent or abundant. The ombrotrophic nature of some bogs make them suitable for the study of accumulation patterns of heavy metals. One of these bogs, Penido Vello, was sampled to a depth of 2.5 m and analyzed in detail for its physico-chemical properties and Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations. Ash and organic carbon content, Ca/Mg molar ratios and a number of other characteristics support an ombrotrophic interpretation of the core. Concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cd were measured, showing important variations in the core. While Zn and Cd are concentrated mainly in the upper sections of the core with minor changes with depth, the Pb profile shows significant peaks in the deeper layers suggesting pre-industrial atmospheric pollution. Enrichment factors (EFs) calculated by normalising to Al correlate well with those calculated by normalising to Ti. Maximum EFs are 33, 56 and 52 for Pb, Zn and Cd respectively. While for Pb these values are comparable to those obtained by other authors, maximum Zn EFs are greater than those mentioned in the literature and may be attributed to the emissions of a nearby coal-burning power plant. At least for Pb the accumulation pattern suggests that atmospheric pollution can be dated back some 2800 years, and that pollution increased steadily since the Iron Age to reach considerably elevated levels, up to 5 times the ‘background’, during the Roman Empire. Changes in Pb emissions through time are in good accord with the prehistorical and historical record of the Iberian Peninsula.     

Links between the recruitment success of northern European hake (Merluccius merluccius L.) and a regime shift on the NE Atlantic continental shelf

The distribution of northern European hake (Merluccius merluccius L.) extends from the Bay of Biscay up to Norwegian waters. However, despite its wide geographical distribution, there have been few studies on fluctuations in the European hake populations. Marine ecosystem shifts have been investigated worldwide and their influence on trophic levels has been studied, from top predator fish populations down to planktonic prey species, but there is little information on the effect of atmosphere–ocean shifts on European hake. This work analyses hake recruitment success (recruits per adult biomass) in relation to environmental changes over the period 1978–2006 in order to determine whether the regime shift identified in several abiotic and biotic variables in the North Sea also affected the Northeast Atlantic shelf oceanography. Hake recruitment success as well as parameters such as the sea surface temperature, wind patterns and copepod abundance changed significantly at the end of the 1980s, demonstrating an ecological regime shift in the Northeast Atlantic. Despite the low reproductive biomass recorded during the last decades, hake recruitment success has been higher since the change in 1989/90. The higher productivity may have sustained the population despite the intense fishing pressure; copepod abundance, warmer water temperatures and moderate eastward transport were found to be beneficial. In conclusion, in 1988/89 the Northeast Atlantic environment shifted to a favourable regime for northern hake production. This study supports the hypothesis that the hydro‐climatic regime shift that affected the North Sea in the late 1980s may have influenced a wider region, such as the Northeast Atlantic.     

Spatial dynamics of juvenile anchovy in the Bay of Biscay

In autumn 2009, the implementation of two successive acoustic surveys targeting juvenile anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Bay of Biscay allowed us to monitor the changes in the spatial distribution and aggregation patterns of juveniles of this species during 45 days under fairly stable meteorological conditions. Juvenile anchovy changed its biological condition and behavior in a different manner in two distinct areas. In the Spanish sector, the juveniles migrated 20 nautical miles (n.mi.) towards the coast, but they remained on the shelf and near the surface during the whole surveyed period. As the advance towards the shelf break progressed, their area of distribution decreased, their density increased and the juveniles spread in fewer but heavier shoals. In the French sector, the juveniles also migrated from slope waters towards the coast at a similar velocity, but they crossed the shelf break into the continental shelf, where they increased their mean depth significantly until gradually adopting the typical nyctemeral migrations of adult anchovy. The mean length of the juveniles that adopted the nyctemeral migrations was significantly higher than that of the juveniles remaining at the surface, suggesting that body size is relevant to accomplish this change. Besides, the stronger temperature gradients between the shelf and oceanic waters in the Spanish sector, favored by a narrow shelf, may have acted as a barrier influencing the distinct observed spatial patterns in the two areas.     

Earlier migration and distribution changes of albacore in the Northeast Atlantic

Marine species have exhibited trends in their geographic distribution and phenology in recent decades, and these changes are triggered by climate variability or anthropogenic pressures. Northeast Atlantic albacore has recently been identified to show changes of this nature, although the underlying causes are still uncertain. The aim of this work was to analyse the Northeast Atlantic albacore distribution shifts and phenological changes during the trophic migration that juveniles undertake from late spring to autumn and to identify potential causes of such variability. Specifically, time series of albacore catches of the Basque trolling fleet were studied and compared with trends derived from a null ecological niche model using very large number of catch observations (27,982). The results showed an earlier albacore migration of 2.3 days per decade during the period of 1981–2017, which was partly associated with the recent warming of the sea. The trend analysis of the catch distribution also detected a significant north‐westward trend in catch observations and a northward trend in species habitat. In contrast, both latitudinal trends were uncorrelated. This result suggests that interannual species distribution shifts are mainly related to factors other than oceanic‐climatic variability, such as fleet behaviour or prey changes.