Reproductive Strategies of Ceramium tenuicorne Near Its Inner Limit in the Brackish Baltic Sea

Bergström, Lena; Bruno, Ellen; Eklund, Britta; Kautsky, Lena

doi:10.1515/bot.2003.013

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Thus, the high frequency of different vegetative strategies of dispersal is probably a consequence of impaired gamete or spore production due to low salinity. The interference of low salinity with sexual reproduction has been demonstrated in the Baltic Sea for Ceramium tenuicorne (Bergstro¨m et al 2003), Fucus vesiculosus (Serra˜o et al 1996(Serra˜o et al , 1999 and Scytosiphon lomentaria (Kristiansen et al 1994). Our study demonstrates that vegetative strategies for propagation are very common and important for the reproduction of many species in the Baltic Sea.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…Accordingly, most of the species that were dependent on vegetative propagation by fragmented individuals for colonization of the bricks are also present on the adjacent Swedish Atlantic coast, where they commonly produce gametes and sexual and/or asexual spores. Many species with alternative life strategies shift to predominance of vegetative reproduction in low salinity (Bergstro¨m et al 2003). Thus, the high frequency of different vegetative strategies of dispersal is probably a consequence of impaired gamete or spore production due to low salinity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of sedimentation on macroalgae: species-specific responses are related to reproductive traits

Eriksson

Johansson

2005

Oecologia

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Although increases in sedimentation have been proposed to interfere with benthic communities in many coastal areas worldwide, few experimental studies have investigated the effect of sedimentation on community composition and assessed species-specific responses. In a field experiment on a rocky shore on the Swedish east coast (northern Baltic Proper) we confirmed the hypotheses that ambient sedimentation influences macroalgal abundance and community composition, and that species-specific responses to sedimentation correlate with reproductive strategies. We followed the establishment and development of macroalgal vegetation on artificial substrates at 8-m and 15-m depth for 4.5 years while manipulating the depositional environment by regularly removing accumulated sediment. Sediment removal significantly favoured macroalgal development and vegetation cover. Responses of macroalgal species to the sediment treatments were clearly species-specific; for example, the ephemeral green algae (Cladophora glomerata and Enteromorpha spp.) were highly tolerant to sedimentation while belt-forming perennial brown algae (Fucus vesiculosus and Sphacelaria arctica) were not. Accordingly, multivariate analyses (redundancy analysis) showed that variance in species abundances were significantly correlated to sediment conditions. The effect of sediment removal was higher at 15-m than at 8-m depth and some species' distributions seemed limited in depth by the present sediment load (e.g. F. vesiculosus). Vegetative propagation was common in the study area and many species mainly depended on dispersal by fragmentation. Generally, species with an extended reproductive period, either by long continuous spore release (C. glomerata and Enteromorpha spp.) or vegetative dispersal by fragmentation (e.g. Furcellaria lumbricalis and Polysiphonia fucoides), were most tolerant to sedimentation. This paper demonstrates long-term effects of sediment deposition on the development of a macroalgal community over several growing seasons. The results indicate that variation in sediment loads is an important constraint for species' local distributions and abundances, and affects the composition of sublittoral rocky-shore macroalgal communities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of sedimentation on macroalgae: species-specific responses are related to reproductive traits

Eriksson

Johansson

2005

Oecologia

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“…Baltic populations of the red alga Ceramium tenuicorne are dominated by individuals that reproduce vegetatively, while in the Skagerrak reproduction is to a large extent (> 95%) sexual (Gabrielsen et al . 2002; Bergström et al . 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

INVITED REVIEW: Life on the margin: genetic isolation and diversity loss in a peripheral marine ecosystem, the Baltic Sea

Johannesson¹,

André²

2006

Molecular Ecology

468

365

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Marginal populations are often isolated and under extreme selection pressures resulting in anomalous genetics. Consequently, ecosystems that are geographically and ecologically marginal might have a large share of genetically atypical populations, in need of particular concern in management of these ecosystems. To test this prediction, we analysed genetic data from 29 species inhabiting the low saline Baltic Sea, a geographically and ecologically marginal ecosystem. On average Baltic populations had lost genetic diversity compared to Atlantic populations: a pattern unrelated to dispersal capacity, generation time of species and taxonomic group of organism, but strongly related to type of genetic marker (mitochondrial DNA loci had lost c . 50% diversity, and nuclear loci 10%). Analyses of genetic isolation by geographic distance revealed clinal patterns of differentiation between Baltic and Atlantic regions. For a majority of species, clines were sigmoid with a sharp slope around the Baltic Sea entrance, indicating impeded gene flows between Baltic and Atlantic populations. Some species showed signs of allele frequencies being perturbed at the edge of their distribution inside the Baltic Sea. Despite the short geological history of the Baltic Sea (8000 years), populations inhabiting the Baltic have evolved substantially different from Atlantic populations, probably as a consequence of isolation and bottlenecks, as well as selection on adaptive traits. In addition, the Baltic Sea also acts a refuge for unique evolutionary lineages. This marginal ecosystem is thus vulnerable but also exceedingly valuable, housing unique genes, genotypes and populations that constitute an important genetic resource for management and conservation.

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“…Two clones, one marine clone from the Oslo fjord (Rueness at Oslo University in Rueness 1978) and one brackish water clone from the Baltic Sea (isolated by the main author in 1995), have been isolated and are currently held in culture and can be used for routine testing at our laboratory (Eklund 2005;ISO 2008). The brackish water clone used in this study is common in the Baltic Sea (Bergström et al 2004). The principle of the test is to determine growth inhibition as reduction in growth rate, measured as length at different concentrations of chemical/ effluent water compared to a control during a 7-day exposure period (Bruno and Eklund 2003;Eklund 2005;ISO 2008).…”

Section: Whole Sediment and Leachate Tests With C Tenuicorne-growth mentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological and chemical characterization of harbour sediments from the Stockholm area

et al. 2009

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Purpose The main objective of the current study was to assess the impact of pleasure boat activities on harbour sediment quality in the Stockholm area. Sediment contamination is a growing ecological issue, and there is consequently a need to use sediment bioassays in combination with chemical analysis to determine the impact on the ecosystem. To generate sediment toxicity data relevant for the Baltic Sea, a secondary objective was to further develop and evaluate two well-established bioassays for saltwater, with the macroalga Ceramium tenuicorne and the crustacean Nitocra spinipes, to be useful also for toxicity testing of whole sediment. A major concern has been to minimize any manipulation of the sediments. A third objective was to assess whether a simple leaching procedure could be used to simulate sediment toxicity by comparing results from whole sediment and leachate tests. Materials and methods Surface sediments (0-2 cm) from five different types of pleasure boat harbours were collected. Chemical measurements of boat related compounds, i.e. tin organic substances (tributyltin (TBT), dibutyl tin, and monobutyl tin), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), copper, zinc, lead, tin and irgarol were conducted. The sediments were tested for toxic effects using the established Microtox® test as well as the developed sediment tests with C. tenuicorne and N. spinipes. The endpoints are growth inhibition for the algal test and for the crustacean test mortality of larvae and rate of development expressed as the ratio between nauplia and copepodites. Two different procedures have been compared with both organisms, i.e. exposure to whole sediment and to leachate. The duration of both tests is around 1 week. Results and discussion All harbour locations were more or less heavily contaminated with remnants from use of antifouling paints. The sediment in a smaller marina (ca. 250 boats) contained the highest levels of TBT (max 1,400 µg/kg dry weight (dw)), whereas the centre of Stockholm City had the highest concentrations of all measured metals (max values Cu 252, Pb 830, Sn 25 and Zn 600 µg/kg dw) as well as high concentrations of total PAH (18 mg/kg dw). All three organisms were well suited to test the toxicity of contaminated sediments and were able to discriminate between more or less polluted sediments. The sediments in the smaller marina were most toxic along with sediments adjacent to slipways and sediments from the centre of Stockholm. No significant difference was found between the two different procedures for the algal tests. The whole sediment test was significantly more toxic to N. spinipes than the test using leachate. Conclusions Our results show that in spite of prohibition for many years to use tin organic substances and copper, boat activities still contribute with high concentrations of these toxic substances from anti-fouling paints in the surface sediment and that these have effects on organisms normally living in this environment. The present study has also demonstrated an expansion of two well-established t...

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Reproductive Strategies of Ceramium tenuicorne Near Its Inner Limit in the Brackish Baltic Sea

Cited by 21 publications

References 13 publications

Effects of sedimentation on macroalgae: species-specific responses are related to reproductive traits

Effects of sedimentation on macroalgae: species-specific responses are related to reproductive traits

INVITED REVIEW: Life on the margin: genetic isolation and diversity loss in a peripheral marine ecosystem, the Baltic Sea

Biological and chemical characterization of harbour sediments from the Stockholm area

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