Sex‐dependent responses of perch to changes in water clarity and temperature

Rising temperatures and decreasing water transparency of lakes have strong wide ranging effects on fish. Fish responses to various changes in the environment are usually species‐dependent, but responses may also vary within species. In general, large individuals are considered to be more sensitive to environmental variation due to higher energy demand, than smaller individuals. Similarly, large individuals require more food to maintain bodily functions and are thus more sensitive to resource and food scarcity. These size‐specific responses to environmental gradients are also sex‐dependent in species that exhibit sexual size dimorphism (SSD). We studied in enclosures with short‐term experiments how rising temperatures and decreasing water transparency regulate the feeding rates of female and male European perch (Perca fluviatilis L.). To explore experimental results, we calculated perch SSD in nine lakes with varying environmental conditions using previously collected field data. The results of the experiments revealed that the combined effect of water transparency and temperature on the feeding rate of fish is gender‐dependent: feeding rate of females decreased more than that of males. The experimental results were also supported by field data that revealed a negative relation between water transparency and the magnitude of SSD in perch. Our results suggest that rising temperatures and decreasing water transparency may potentially decrease fish size in a sex‐dependent manner. As female size is one of the main demographic traits determining the reproductive success of a fish population, changing environments may have unexpected and far‐reaching consequences on fish population dynamics.     

Changing stock of biomass carbon in a boreal forest over 93 years

The growing stock more than doubled from 1.6 to 3.4 million m³ between 1912 and 2005 in forests on an area of 387 km² in southern Finland. The stock expansion continued for 93 years noting interim results, which were available for 1959, 1982, 1994 and 1999. Forested area in the region hardly changed. Carbon sequestration was mainly a result of a long-term recovery from forest degradation, a legacy of land use in the 18th and 19th centuries. Tree demography responded to management change especially of mature stands: Average tree size and stocking density of stands increased. On average the expanding biomass stock sequestered 18 tons C annually per km² (18 g C per m²). In comparison, the emissions of fossil carbon in the region were estimated at 12 tons C per km² (12 g C per m²) on average. However, fossil CO₂ emissions exceeded biomass sequestration in recent decades. The powerful and persistent expansion of the carbon stock was an unintended co-benefit of forestry, which was motivated by the intention to improve timber yield. On the more negative side the change in management introduced clear-cuts, and a loss of diverse elements of the pre-industrial biota.     

Polar light regime and piscivory govern diel vertical migrations of planktivorous fish and zooplankton in a subarctic lake

Abstract –  Seasonal variation in light intensity has strong impacts on invertebrate and vertebrate habitat selection creating trade-offs between foraging gain and risk of death. Diel vertical migration (DVM) has received a particularly interest, but multitrophic level studies in lakes under polar light regime have not been conducted. Here, we examined habitat selection of pelagic zooplankton, planktivores and piscivores in subarctic Lake Muddusjärvi with polymorphic whitefish ( Coregonus lavaretus (L.)). Seasonal change in light was hypothesized to be the most important abiotic factor inducing DVM, whereas predation was considered as an ultimate biotic factor. During period of mid-night sun in June, no DVM was observed at any trophic level, whereas during normal day and night light in September planktivores and zooplankton migrated. DVM was top-down controlled, where piscivorous brown trout ( Salmo trutta L.) used pelagic habitat continuously inducing DVM of its main prey, pelagic whitefish morph, which cascaded to reverse DVM of zooplankton. Top-down control of lower trophic level DVMs by piscivores might be more general pattern in lakes than previously considered.     

Shoot growth and crown development: effect of crown position in three-dimensional simulations

Trees have been increasingly considered as modular organisms, with individual shoots forming autonomous units that respond semi-independently to their surrounding environment. However, there is evidence for fairly strict hormonal control of tree crown development. Studies on the hydraulic architecture of trees suggest a closer functional connection between shoots and crown development than is postulated by the theory of branch autonomy. We studied how shoot growth pattern influences growth and crown architecture in young Scots pine trees simulated by the LIGNUM model assuming that (a) the growth of a shoot mainly depends on its light climate and (b) the growth of a shoot is influenced by its position within the crown. We determined shoot position within the crown based on a recently developed vigor index. The vigor index compares the relative axis cross-sectional area from the base of the tree to each shoot and gives a value of 1 to the pathway of the greatest cross-sectional area. All other shoots attain values between 0 and 1 depending on their cross-sectional areas and the cross-sectional areas of the branches leading there from the main axis. The shoot light climate is characterized by annually intercepted photosynthetically active radiation. We compared the results from simulations (a) and (b) against an independent data set. The addition of a within-shoot position index (the vigor index) to our simulation (simulation b) resulted in a more realistic tree form than that obtained with simulation (a) alone. We discuss the functional significance of the results as well as the possibilities of using an index of shoot position in simulations of crown architecture.     

Comparison of in-line connected diode array and electrochemical detectors in the high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of coenzymes Q(9) and Q(10) in food materials

In-line connected electrochemical (EC) and diode array (DAD) detectors were compared in the reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) analysis of coenzymes Q(9) and Q(10) in some food materials (beef steak, beef heart, Baltic herring fillet, and rye flour). Coenzymes Q(9) and Q(10) were extracted from the samples using a 5:1 n-hexane-ethanol mixture. Coefficient of variation (CV%) of quadruplicate or quintuplicate determined samples for coenzymes Q(9) and Q(10) was <10 by both EC detector and DAD. Responses of the detection systems were linear in the range evaluated, 10-200 ng/injection, and had correlation coefficients exceeding 0.999. Recoveries of added coenzymes Q(9) and Q(10) varied 73-105% for DAD and 74-103% for EC detector, respectively. Detection limits for coenzymes Q(9) and Q(10) using the DAD system were 4 and 6 ng/injection, respectively, and 0.2 and 0.3 ng/injection by EC detection. Results derived from the two detection systems were generally similar. However, although EC detector was 20-fold more sensitive, the selectivity was, in some cases, poorer than that of DAD.     

Hydroacoustic assessment of mono‐ and polymorphic Coregonus density and biomass in subarctic lakes

Density and biomass estimates of pelagic fish are essential to understand food web interactions and ecosystem functioning. We conducted surveys of six subarctic lakes for assessing both mono‐ and polymorphic whitefish Coregonus lavaretus (L.) populations. Monomorphic whitefish lakes were inhabited by a habitat and diet generalist, large sparsely rakered (LSR) morph, whereas polymorphic whitefish lakes had a littoral benthivorous LSR morph, a pelagic planktivorous densely rakered (DR) morph and in two cases a benthivorous small sparsely rakered (SSR) morph inhabiting the profundal zone. In addition, an introduced specialist zooplanktivore, vendace Coregonus albula (L.), inhabited one of the monomorphic lakes. Hydroacoustics was found to be an appropriate method for estimating coregonid densities and biomasses in large and deep polymorphic lakes occupied by the planktivorous DR morph or vendace, but only during dark nights in autumn. The suitability of hydroacoustic assessment for benthivorous LSR and SSR morphs was low, especially in polymorphic whitefish lakes due to their preference for near‐bottom habitat or shallow areas not sampled with hydroacoustics. The pelagic density of DR morph varied from 330 to 1780 fish·ha^?1 and biomass from 1.4 to 13.3 kg·ha^?1 in polymorphic whitefish lakes, whereas corresponding estimates for LSR morph were 10–320 fish·ha^?1 and 0.5–8.4 kg·ha^?1 in monomorphic whitefish lakes. In general, polymorphism tended to increase the density and biomass of whitefish in the pelagic area compared with monomorphic systems.     

Biological diversity of Rhizoctonia solani (AG-3) in a northern potato-cultivation environment in Finland

A total of 119 isolates of Rhizoctonia were collected from stem canker lesions, stolon and root lesions, hymenia on stems, or from black scurf on tubers of potato plants ( Solanum tuberosum ) in Finland (latitudes 60–67°N). All isolates except three belonged to anastomosis group 3 (AG-3) of R. solani , as determined by phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer sequences (ITS1 and ITS2) of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Sensitivity of the 119 isolates to the fungicide flutolanil was tested in vitro (EC₅₀ values 0·14–0·75  µ g active ingredient mL⁻¹). The isolates also varied considerably in growth rate (5·1–14·8 mm day⁻¹). The severity of disease caused by 99 isolates was determined based on the proportion of potato sprouts affected by lesions, discoloration or death, which was c . 1–60%. Only two isolates that were able to cause severe symptoms showed particularly low sensitivity to the fungicide and rapid growth rate. One isolate each of anastomosis groups AG-2-1 and AG-5 and an unknown, binucleate Rhizoctonia sp. were detected. The AG-5 isolate and the binucleate isolate caused mild symptoms on potato sprouts, whereas the AG-2-1 isolate was not pathogenic. Taken together, AG-3 of R. solani was the predominant causal agent of the stem canker and black scurf diseases of potato in Finland and showed considerable variability in disease severity, fungicide sensitivity and growth rate in vitro .     

Dynamics of soilborne Rhizoctonia solani in the presence of Trichoderma harzianum: effects on stem canker, black scurf and progeny tubers of potato

Stem canker and black scurf are diseases of potato caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani . Spatiotemporal experimentation and empirical modelling were applied for the first time to investigate the effect of antagonistic Trichoderma harzianum on the dynamics of soilborne R. solani on individual potato plants. Trichoderma harzianum reduced the severity of symptoms, expressed as 'rhizoctonia stem lesion index' (RSI), during the first 7 days post-inoculation when the inoculum of R. solani was placed at certain distances (30–60 mm) from the host. For example, with inoculum at 40 mm from the host, RSI was 6 and 40 with and without T. harzianum , respectively. At later observation times, the antagonistic effect was overcome. Trichoderma harzianum reduced the severity of black scurf on progeny tubers. Furthermore, the mean number of progeny tubers per potato plant was reduced by the biocontrol treatment (means of 6·5 ± 1·1 and 9·9 ± 2·7 tubers per plant with and without T. harzianum , respectively), as was the proportion of small (0·1–20·0 g) tubers (48% and 66% with and without T. harzianum , respectively). Additionally, there were fewer malformed and green-coloured tubers in pots treated with T. harzianum than in those without T. harzianum .