Re-appraisal of age composition, growth and survivorship of the deep-sea brittle star Ophiura ljungmani from size structure in a sample time series from the Rockall Trough

1981 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Gage ◽  
P. A. Tyler
Author(s):  
P. A. Tyler

SynopsisThe reproductive biology of a wide variety of deep-sea echinoderms from the northeast Atlantic has been examined. Time series samples of asteroids, ophiuroids, echinoids and holothurians are available from Station “M” and the Scottish Marine Biological Association's Permanent Station in the Rockall Trough and from opportunistic sampling in other areas of the northern Rockall Trough. Examination of these time series samples has established three main reproductive patterns in these taxa and one example of protandric hermaphroditism. The dominant reproductive pattern is the aperiodic production of relatively few large eggs usually in excess of 600μm diameter. Although the oogenic pattern is similar in most of these species, the follicle cell distribution and breakdown of relict oocytes vary considerably, particularly at family level. A second reproductive pattern is the production of numerous small eggs c. 100μm diameter, indicative of planktotrophic development. The five species exhibiting this pattern show intra- and interspecific synchrony of egg production with a proliferation of young oocytes in February to April of each year, vitellogenesis during summer and autumn and a synchronous spawnout in January–April of each year. In the apparent constant conditions of the deep sea, this synchrony of reproduction is related to the rapid descent of surface primary production. Two rarer reproductive patterns observed are the production of intermediate sized eggs (c. 300–400μm diameter) suggesting the formation of a lecithotrophic larva, and lastly a single case of protandric hermaphroditism, and the subsequent production of a large egg. In none of the species examined have we found any evidence of brooding. The variation in the reproductive pattern of individual species is discussed in relation to the constancy of the physico-chemical environment of the deep-sea.


Author(s):  
P. A. Tyler ◽  
J. D. Gage

INTRODUCTIONOphiacantha bidentata (Retzius) is a widespread arctic-boreal ophiuroid with a circumpolar distribution in the shallow waters of the Arctic seas and penetrating into the deep sea of the.North Atlantic and North Pacific (Mortensen, 1927, 1933a; D'yakonov, 1954). Early observations of this species were confined to defining zoogeo-graphical and taxonomic criteria including the separation of deep water specimens as the variety fraterna (Farran, 1912; Grieg, 1921; Mortensen, 1933a). Mortensen (1910) and Thorson (1936, pp. 18–26) noted the large eggs (o.8 mm diameter) in specimens from Greenland and Thorson (1936) proposed that this species had ‘big eggs rich in yolk, shed directly into the sea. Much reduced larval stage or direct development’. This evidence is supported by observations of O. bidentata from the White and Barents Seas (Semenova, Mileikovsky & Nesis, 1964; Kaufman, 1974)..


2010 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. BBI.S5983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Tominaga

Time series of gene expression often exhibit periodic behavior under the influence of multiple signal pathways, and are represented by a model that incorporates multiple harmonics and noise. Most of these data, which are observed using DNA microarrays, consist of few sampling points in time, but most periodicity detection methods require a relatively large number of sampling points. We have previously developed a detection algorithm based on the discrete Fourier transform and Akaike's information criterion. Here we demonstrate the performance of the algorithm for small-sample time series data through a comparison with conventional and newly proposed periodicity detection methods based on a statistical analysis of the power of harmonics. We show that this method has higher sensitivity for data consisting of multiple harmonics, and is more robust against noise than other methods. Although “combinatorial explosion” occurs for large datasets, the computational time is not a problem for small-sample datasets. The MATLAB/GNU Octave script of the algorithm is available on the author's web site: http://www.cbrc.jp/%7Etominaga/piccolo/ .


Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Durden ◽  
Brian J. Bett ◽  
Christine L. Huffard ◽  
Corinne Pebody ◽  
Henry A. Ruhl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  

Author(s):  
Janne I. Kaariainen ◽  
Brian J. Bett

The benthic body size miniaturization hypothesis states that deep-sea communities are dominated by organisms of smaller body size, although some field studies have produced contradictory results. Using appropriate sample sets, this study tests this hypothesis by contrasting the benthic communities of the Fladen Ground (North Sea, 150 m) and the Faroe–Shetland Channel (1600 m). Samples were collected for large (500 μm) and small macrofauna (250–355 μm), meiofauna (45 μm) as well as an intermediate sized ‘mesofauna’ (180 μm) to ensure comprehensive coverage of the full meio- and macro-faunal body size-range. The body size structure of the benthos was compared using two methods. The more widely used average individual biomass method involves dividing the total sample biomass by sample abundance. Additionally, body size accumulation curves were constructed by assigning all specimens into a logarithmic size-class and then plotting the cumulative percentage of individuals present in each size-class. The results seem to support the hypothesis that the deep-sea environment is a small organism habitat. Although these findings only represent two locations, the overall body size accumulation curves clearly display a statistically significant shift towards smaller body sizes at the deeper site. The magnitude of the effect is appreciable with median metazoan body size reducing from 14.3 μg wet weight in the Fladen Ground to 3.8 μg wet weight in the Faroe–Shetland Channel. The average individual biomass measurements are shown to be of limited value and can lead to potentially misleading conclusions if the underlying size structure is not analysed in detail.


1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Tyler ◽  
R. Harvey ◽  
L. A. Giles ◽  
J. D. Gage

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 589-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Spence ◽  
Paul G. Blackwell ◽  
Julia L. Blanchard

Dynamic size spectrum models have been recognized as an effective way of describing how size-based interactions can give rise to the size structure of aquatic communities. They are intermediate-complexity ecological models that are solutions to partial differential equations driven by the size-dependent processes of predation, growth, mortality, and reproduction in a community of interacting species and sizes. To be useful for quantitative fisheries management these models need to be developed further in a formal statistical framework. Previous work has used time-averaged data to “calibrate” the model using optimization methods with the disadvantage of losing detailed time-series information. Using a published multispecies size spectrum model parameterized for the North Sea comprising 12 interacting fish species and a background resource, we fit the model to time-series data using a Bayesian framework for the first time. We capture the 1967–2010 period using annual estimates of fishing mortality rates as input to the model and time series of fisheries landings data to fit the model to output. We estimate 38 key parameters representing the carrying capacity of each species and background resource, as well as initial inputs of the dynamical system and errors on the model output. We then forecast the model forward to evaluate how uncertainty propagates through to population- and community-level indicators under alternative management strategies.


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