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In the context of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM), multi-species models offer a potential alternative to traditional single-species models for managing key species, particularly in mixed-fishery settings. These models account for interactions between different species, providing a more holistic approach to fisheries compared to traditional single-species management. There is currently no comprehensive list or recent analysis of the diverse methods used to account for species interactions in fisheries worldwide. We conducted a systematic review to objectively present the current multi-species models used in fisheries. The systematic search identified 86 multi-species models, which were then evaluated to assess their similarities. Employing a clustering analysis, three distinct groups were identified: extensions of single-species/dynamic multi-species models, aggregated ecosystem models, and end-to-end/coupled and hybrid models. The first group was among the most diverse, owing to their ability to integrate biological components, while maintaining an intermediate level of complexity. The second group, primarily defined by the EwE method, features an aggregated biomass pool structure incorporating biological components and environmental effects. The third cluster featured the most complex models, which included a comprehensive representation of size and age structure, the ability to incorporate biological components and environmental effects, as well as spatial representation. The application of these methods is primarily concentrated on small pelagic and demersal species from North America and Europe. This analysis provides a comprehensive guide for stakeholders on the development and use of multi-species models, considering data constraints and regional contexts.

The deep-sea Caribbean lobster (Metanephrops binghami) and the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) are Nephropidae species of high commercial interest. Although the first one still remains unexploited, the second is overexploited in the Mediterranean Sea. For effective fisheries management, size at sexual maturity is an essential indicator to protect immature individuals from exploitation. The estimation of this indicator can, however, be biased due to the difficulty of differentiating juveniles from adults by their size structure due to the natural process of molting. This study aims to estimate the size at sexual maturity of M. binghami and N. norvegicus females by comparing the effectiveness of the morphometric method versus the macroscopic evaluation of gonad maturity. Samples of M. binghami were collected from the Colombian Caribbean Sea in August and December 2009, March and May 2010, and August 2020 to May 2021. Samples of N. norvegicus were collected from the northwestern Mediterranean Sea from 2019 to 2022. Similar sizes at sexual maturity were found for M. binghami between the morphometric approach (ranging from 28.6 to 33.9 mm cephalothorax length, CL) and the gonadal staging approach (31.4 mm CL). Conversely, for N. norvegicus, the morphometric approach yielded higher measurements (between 27.2 and 30.4 mm CL) than the gonadal approach (26.0 mm CL). This discrepancy might stem from the intense fishing overexploitation conditions of N. norvergicus, leading to a physiological adaptation that enables earlier gonadal maturation at faster rates than morphometric adaptation. Further research is required to elucidate these discrepancies and the effect of overexploitation on physiological (i.e., mature gonads) and functional maturity (i.e., capacity to brood eggs at a larger size).

IntroductionChondrichthyans (sharks, batoids and chimaeras) play key roles in the regulation of marine food webs dynamics. However, more than half of the assessed species in the Mediterranean are threatened, primarily by fishing pressure and compounded by habitat degradation and climate change. Nevertheless, there is an important knowledge gap in identifying the underlying drivers of their community structure and spatial distribution.Methods and ResultsWe provide insights into the current bycatch rates of chondrichthyans in the western Mediterranean commercial bottom trawling fishery by accurately depicting the unaltered practices of the local fleet. A total of 17 species were recorded in the studied fishing grounds (ranging from 50 to 800 m deep), including 7 sharks, 9 batoids, and 1 chimaera, although the total catch was dominated by few species. Furthermore, we tested the effect of environmental and fishing-related factors on multiple community descriptors by using analysis of community structure (multidimensional scaling and analysis of similitude) and generalized linear mixed models to further understand the drivers of the chondrichthyan community distribution and structure. This study revealed the importance of combining environmental and anthropogenic drivers to further understand the spatial distribution patterns of chondrichthyan communities. Our results indicate that depth was the main driver of the community structure, with deeper areas within the fishing grounds hosting a higher diversity. Sea bottom temperature and substrate type also influenced the distribution of the community, with substrate effects changing depending on the intensity of fishing pressure. In all cases, density, biomass, and diversity of chondrichthyans were negatively impacted by increasing fishing effort. DiscussionUnderstanding the drivers of the structure and distribution of the chondrichthyan community is crucial to understand the potential impacts that increased fishing pressure, habitat loss and global change may entail. The ongoing challenges that the Mediterranean chondrichthyans and their ecosystems are facing highlights the need for continued monitoring and improved chondrichthyan-focused fisheries management.

Abstract Underwater Television (UWTV) surveys provide fishery-independent stock size estimations of the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus), based directly on burrow counting using the survey assumption of “one animal = one burrow”. However, stock size may be uncertain depending on true rates of burrow occupation. For the first time, 3055 video transects carried out in several Functional Units (FUs) around Ireland were used to investigate this uncertainty. This paper deals with the discrimination of burrow emergence and door-keeping diel behaviour in Nephrops norvegicus, which is one of the most commercially important fisheries in Europe. Comparisons of burrow densities with densities of visible animals engaged in door-keeping (i.e. animals waiting at the tunnel entrance) behaviour and animals in full emergence, were analysed at time windows of expected maximum population emergence. Timing of maximum emergence was determined using wave-form analysis and GAM modelling. The results showed an average level of 1 visible Nephrops individual per 10 burrow systems, depending on sampling time and depth. This calls into question the current burrow occupancy assumption which may not hold true in all FUs. This is discussed in relation to limitations of sampling methodologies and new autonomous robotic technological solutions for monitoring.

Decapod crustacean fisheries play a crucial role on the northwestern Mediterranean coast due to their high commercial value. Although knowledge of larval ecology and recruitment dynamics of these species is essential to establish a sustainable fisheries management, they are still poorly known. In this paper, we describe the composition, abundance and distribution of decapod crustacean larvae in the submarine canyon off Blanes (northwestern Mediterranean Sea) during summer thermal stratification conditions. Samples were collected in September 2011 with a multi-net system and a 60-cm bongo net at 22 stations with bottom depths of between 100 and 1800 m. A total of 635 larvae from 60 genera were identified. The most relevant taxa were Aristeus antennatus (7.93 individuals/1000 m3), the family Sergestidae (7.24) and Alpheus glaber (6.78). These three taxa were dominant ( > 20% of total decapod larvae) at more than half of the stations. Decapod larval communities were found to be richer and more diverse at the canyon head, a finding which could be explained by the higher retention rates when compared with the upstream and downstream walls and the canyon axis.

Decapod crustaceans are a diverse group englobing several species of commercial and ecological interest. In the Mediterranean Sea, decapod crustacean fisheries are among the most profitable, although in many cases their early life stages are poorly known. In this study, we tackle the composition and diversity patterns of the decapod larval communities along the eastern Spanish Mediterranean coast. Zooplankton sampling was carried out in surface waters at 101 stations from July 20th to August 31st 2016, over bottom depths between 90 and 1840 m. All shrimp larvae were identified to the lowest possible taxonomical level, and larvae from Anomura, Achelata and Brachyura were left at infraorder level. No larvae of Astacidea or Polychelida were found. The total zooplankton volume was estimated. A total of 20,022 decapod crustacean larvae were identified, focusing on shrimp taxa (suborder Dendrobranchiata and infraorder Caridea). Both zooplankton volume and decapod larval density values were higher in the northern part of the studied area, cut by deep submarine canyons. After assessing the diversity parameters of the decapod larval community, we present the summer mesoscale larval distribution of several species of commercial interest such as the caramote prawn (Penaeus kerathurus) or the deep-water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris). The northern submarine canyons are dominated by the presence of Penaeoidea, being the deep-sea shrimp Aristeus antennatus the dominant species in the community in this area, while the Sergestoidea are more abundant in the southern zone. This is the largest-scale study on decapod larvae mesoscale distribution in the Mediterranean Sea.

The burrowing crustacean decapod Nephrops norvegicus is a significant species in European Atlantic and Mediterranean fisheries. Research over the decades has mainly focused on behavioral and physiological aspects related to the burrowing lifestyle, since animals can only be captured by trawls when engaged in emergence on the seabed. Here, we performed a global bibliographic survey of all the scientific literature retrieved in SCOPUS since 1965, and terminology maps were produced with the VOSviewer software to reveal established and emerging research areas. We produced three term-map plots: term clustering, term citation, and term year. The term clustering network showed three clusters: fishery performance, assessment, and management; biological cycles in growth, reproduction, and behavior; and finally, physiology and ecotoxicology, including food products. The term citation map showed that intense research is developed on ecotoxicology and fishery management. Finally, the term year map showed that the species was first studied in its morphological and physiological aspects and more recently in relation to fishery and as a food resource. Taken together, the results indicate scarce knowledge on how burrowing behavior and its environmental control can alter stock assessment, because of the poor use of current and advanced monitoring technologies.

Marine biophysical models can be used to explore the displacement of individuals in and between submarine canyons. Mostly, the studies focus on the shallow hydrodynamics in or around a single canyon. In the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, knowledge of the deep-sea circulation and its spatial variability in three contiguous submarine canyons is limited. We used a Lagrangian framework with three-dimensional velocity fields from two versions of the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) to study the deep-bottom connectivity between submarine canyons and to compare their influence on the particle transport. From a biological point of view, the particles represented eggs and larvae spawned by the deep-sea commercial shrimp Aristeus antennatus along the continental slope in summer. The passive particles mainly followed a southwest drift along the continental slope and drifted less than 200 km considering a pelagic larval duration (PLD) of 31 d. Two of the submarine canyons were connected by more than 27 % of particles if they were released at sea bottom depths above 600 m. The vertical advection of particles depended on the depth where particles were released and the circulation influenced by the morphology of each submarine canyon. Therefore, the impact of contiguous submarine canyons on particle transport should be studied on a case-by-case basis and not be generalized. Because the flows were strongly influenced by the bottom topography, the hydrodynamic model with finer bathymetric resolution data, a less smoothed bottom topography, and finer sigma-layer resolution near the bottom should give more accurate simulations of near-bottom passive drift. Those results propose that the physical model parameterization and discretization have to be considered for improving connectivity studies of deep-sea species.

Pelagia noctiluca is the most common jellyfish in the Western Mediterranean Sea, living in oceanic waters with a holoplanktonic lifecycle. Frequent outbreaks have been well documented in coastal areas, yet little is known about their offshore distribution. In this study we address the relationship between oceanographic structures and the distribution of P. noctiluca ephyrae along the central continental slope of the Western Mediterranean, covering a wide latitudinal gradient, during July-August 2016. The region is characterized by a rich and complex mesoscale surface circulation driven by the inflow of Atlantic Water into the Western Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar. The results revealed a high variability in the ephyrae spatial paterns related with different water masses and the resulting mesoscale hydrographic features. Their horizontal distribution showed a clear latitudinal gradient with high abundances in the south, associated with recent Atlantic Water, and low abundances or absence in the north, in coincidence with the old Atlantic Water transported by the Northern Current. Ephyrae showed diel vertical migrations of short-extent in the first 50 m, with a wide distribution above the thermocline and the Deep Chlorophyll Maximum during daytime, being more concentrated towards the surface at night. The results suggest the population connectivity of P. noctiluca between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. In that case, the abundance variability of the species in the Mediterranean could be modulated by its entrance associated with the inflow of Atlantic Water through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Information on the buoyancy of eggs and larvae from deep-sea species is rare but necessary for explaining the position of non-swimming larvae in the water column. Due to embryonic morphology and ecology diversities, egg buoyancy has important variations within one species and among other ones. Nevertheless, it has hardly been explored if this buoyancy variability can be a strategy for deep-sea larvae to optimize their transport beyond their spawning areas. In the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, protozoea and mysis larvae of the commercial deep-sea shrimp Aristeus antennatus were recently found in upper layers, but to present, earlier stages like eggs and nauplii have not been collected. Using a Lagrangian transport model and larval characteristics, we evaluate the buoyancy and hydrodynamic effects on the transport of A. antennatus' larvae in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. The transport models suggested that 75% of buoyant eggs released between 500 and 800 m depth (i.e., known spawning area), reached the upper water layers (0-75 m depth). Then, according to the modeled larval drifts, three spawning regions were defined in the studied area: 1) the northern part, along a continental margin crossed by large submarine canyons; 2) the central part, with two circular circulation structures (i.e., eddies); and 3) the southern part, with currents flowing through a channel. The number of larvae in the most upper layer (0-5 m depth) was higher if the larval transport model accounted for the ascent of eggs and nauplii (81%) instead of eggs reaching the surface before hatching (50%). The larvae reaching the most water upper layer (0-5 m depth) had higher rates of dispersal than the ones transported below the surface layer (deeper than 5 m depth). The results of larval dispersal simulations have implications for the understanding of A. antennatus larval ecology and for management decisions related to the shrimp fisheries in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea.

Current observations of ocean currents are mainly based on altimetric measurements of Sea Surface Heights (SSH), however the characteristics of the present-day constellation of altimeters are only capable to retrieve surface currents at scales larger than 50–70 km. By contrast, infrared and visible radiometers reach spatial resolutions thirty times higher than altimeters under cloud-free conditions. During the last years, it has been shown how the Surface Quasi-Geostrophic (SQG) approximation is able to reconstruct surface currents from measured Sea Surface Temperature (SST), but it has not been yet used to retrieve velocities at scales shorter than those provided by altimeters. In this study, the velocity field of ocean structures with characteristic lengths between 10 and 20 km has been derived from infrared SST using the SQG approach and compared to the velocities derived from the trajectories of Lagrangian drifters. Results show that the SQG approach is able to reconstruct the direction of the velocity field with observed RMS errors between 8 and 15 degrees and linear correlations between 0.85 and 0.99. The reconstruction of the modulus of the velocity is more problematic due to two limitations of the SQG approach: the need to calibrate the level of energy and the ageostrophic contributions. If drifter trajectories are used to calibrate velocities and the analysis is restricted to small Rossby numbers, the RMS error in the range of 10 to 16 cm/s and linear correlations can be as high as 0.97.

The deep-sea red shrimp Aristeus antennatus is one of the most valuable demersal resources in Catalonia (northeast Spain), and Palamós is the most important harbour for this fishery in the area. Here, a management plan published in 2013 established the use of a 40-mm square-mesh codend (40s), replacing the previously used 50-mm diamond mesh codend (50d). The objective was to decrease the amount of juveniles in the catches, but the regulation did not bring the expected results. In this study, we measured and compared the selectivity of the 40s and the 50d in this fishery. In addition, we experimented with the use of a 50-mm square-mesh codend (50s). According to our results, the 40s had a lower 50% selection length (L50) than the 50d, while the 50s had a substantially higher L50 than the other two. A transition analysis showed an increase in yield per recruit after the second year from a hypothetical implementation of the 50s. Our conclusion is that the 40s does not have a higher selectivity than the 50d, which (at least partially) explains the failure to reach the management objective in Palamós. Conversely, the use of a 50s would significantly benefit the fishery, increasing gear selectivity and yield per recruit.

Abstract Background The Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, is economically important in European fisheries and is a key organism in local marine ecosystems. Despite multi-faceted scientific interest in this species, our current knowledge of genetic resources in this species remains very limited. Here, we generated a reference de novo transcriptome for N. norvegicus from multiple tissues in both sexes. Bioinformatic analyses were conducted to detect transcripts that were expressed exclusively in either males or females. Patterns were validated via RT-PCR. Results Sixteen N. norvegicus libraries were sequenced from immature and mature ovary, testis and vas deferens (including the masculinizing androgenic gland). In addition, eyestalk, brain, thoracic ganglia and hepatopancreas tissues were screened in males and both immature and mature females. RNA-Sequencing resulted in >600 million reads. De novo assembly that combined the current dataset with two previously published libraries from eyestalk tissue, yielded a reference transcriptome of 333,225 transcripts with an average size of 708 base pairs (bp), with an N50 of 1272 bp. Sex-specific transcripts were detected primarily in gonads followed by hepatopancreas, brain, thoracic ganglia, and eyestalk, respectively. Candidate transcripts that were expressed exclusively either in males or females were highlighted and the 10 most abundant ones were validated via RT-PCR. Among the most highly expressed genes were Serine threonine protein kinase in testis and Vitellogenin in female hepatopancreas. These results align closely with gene annotation results. Moreover, a differential expression heatmap showed that the majority of differentially expressed transcripts were identified in gonad and eyestalk tissues. Results indicate that sex-specific gene expression patterns in Norway lobster are controlled by differences in gene regulation pattern between males and females in somatic tissues. Conclusions The current study presents the first multi-tissue reference transcriptome for the Norway lobster that can be applied to future biological, wild restocking and fisheries studies. Sex-specific markers were mainly expressed in males implying that males may experience stronger selection than females. It is apparent that differential expression is due to sex-specific gene regulatory pathways that are present in somatic tissues and not from effects of genes located on heterogametic sex chromosomes. The N. norvegicus data provide a foundation for future gene-based reproductive studies.

The early life stages of the blue and red shrimp Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda: Dendrobranchiata: Penaeoidea: Aristeidae) were described by Heldt in 1955 based on plankton samples, larval rearing and assumptions of species habitat. Even with adequate keys, identification of its first larval stages remained a difficult task due to the lack of specific morphological characters which would differentiate them from other Penaeoidea species. Larvae of Aristeus antennatus were collected in the continental slope off the Spanish Mediterranean coast in August 2016 with a neuston net and preserved in ethanol 96%. DNA from the larvae was extracted and the molecular markers Cytochrome Oxidase I and 16S rDNA were sequenced and compared to that of adults with the objective of confirming the previous morphological description. Then, we present additional information to the morphological description of Aristeus antennatus larval stages through scanning electron microscopy and molecular analysis. This represents the first documented occurrence of Aristeus antennatus larvae off the Catalan coast and sets the grounds for further work on larval ecology and population connectivity of the species, which is an important contribution to a more sustainable fishery.

In this work we analysed the spatio-temporal variability of discards in the fishery of the deep-sea red shrimp Aristeus antennatus in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. We sampled fishery discards in the fishing grounds of Palamós (the main harbour for this fishery on the Catalan margin), which are located in several areas of a submarine canyon. We found that the discard ratio in this fishery showed a marked seasonal variability, with a maximum in spring and a minimum in summer. Most of the discarded biomass (almost 96%) were of species with no commercial interest. Within these, the most represented group was elasmobranchs, making up to more than 50% of total discarded biomass. Our findings show that the landing obligation established by the EU will have a low impact in mitigating discards in this fishery, as the vast majority of discards are non-commercial species that are not specified in the regulation. Alternative management strategies, such as a temporary fishery closure in spring (when the discard ratio reaches its maximum), should be considered in order to preserve the vulnerable ecosystem hosted by the submarine canyon.

Population genetic studies of species inhabiting the deepest parts of the oceans are still scarce and only until recently we started to understand how oceanographic processes and topography affect dispersal and gene flow patterns. The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial population genetic structure of the bathyal bony fish Coryphaenoides mediterraneus, with a focus on the Atlantic-Mediterranean transition. We used nine nuclear microsatellites and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene from 6 different sampling areas. No population genetic structure was found within Mediterranean with both marker types (mean ΦST = 0.0960, FST = -0.0003, for both P > 0.05). However, within the Atlantic a contrasting pattern of genetic structure was found for the mtDNA and nuclear markers (mean ΦST = 0.2479, P < 0.001; FST = -0.0001, P > 0.05). When comparing samples from Atlantic and Mediterranean they exhibited high and significant levels of genetic divergence (mean ΦST = 0.7171, FST = 0.0245, for both P < 0.001) regardless the genetic marker used. Furthermore, no shared haplotypes were found between Atlantic and Mediterranean populations. These results suggest very limited genetic exchange between Atlantic and Mediterranean populations of C. mediterraneus, likely due to the shallow bathymetry of the Strait of Gibraltar acting as a barrier to gene flow. This physical barrier not only prevents the direct interactions between the deep-living adults, but also must prevent interchange of pelagic early life stages between the two basins. According to Bayesian simulations it is likely that Atlantic and Mediterranean populations of C. mediterraneus were separated during the late Pleistocene, which is congruent with results for other deep-sea fish from the same region.

This study provides a compilation of all available information on deep-sea echinoderms from the middle and lower slopes of the Mediterranean Sea, with the aim of providing a unified source of information on the taxonomy of this group. Previous records of species are updated with new data obtained from 223 trawl hauls conducted in 11 cruises within the northwestern Mediterranean Sea between 800 m and 2845 m depth. Valid names, bathymetric ranges and geographic distributions are given for all species. The new data report, for the first time, the presence of the Atlantic echinoid Gracilechinus elegans (Düben and Koren, 1844) in the Mediterranean Sea. We also report the presence of the endemic holothurians Hedingia mediterranea (Bartolini Baldelli, 1914), dredged only once previously in 1914 in the Tyrrhenian Sea, and Penilpidia ludwigi (von Marenzeller, 1893), known previously only from three samples, two in the Aegean Sea and one in the Balearic Sea. Additionally, the deeper limits of the bathymetric distribution of four species have been expanded: the asteroid Ceramaster grenadensis (Perrier, 1881) to 2845 m; the echinoid Brissopsis lyrifera (Forbes, 1841) to 2250 m; and the holothurians Hedingia mediterranea and Holothuria (Panningothuria) forskali Delle Chiaje, 1823, to 1500 m and 850 m, respectively.

Three deep-sea areas in the Mediterranean Sea were sampled using a bottom otter trawl during the DESEAS oceanographic survey carried out from early June to early July 2001, covering an area in the western Mediterranean from 600 to 2800 m in depth and two areas in the central Mediterranean, the western and eastern Ionian Sea from 600 to 4000 m in depth. Decapod crustaceans were one of the dominant megafaunal groups, together with fishes, in terms of both biomass and abundance. A total of 2799 decapod specimens belonging to 32 species were collected. Abundance and biomass of the decapod crustaceans decreased with depth. For depths below 1000 m, a decrease in total decapod biomass was recorded from west to east. From the data reported in this study and data from the available literature, decapod crustaceans display differential depth distributions in the different areas. For the most abundant species, size and sex distributions versus depth gradient were examined to compare intraspecific population structures between the sampling areas. Despite differences, among areas, in the species biomass compositions by depth strata and differences in their overall bathymetric ranges of distribution, intraspecific population structures of the most abundant species seem to follow similar trends for size and sex distribution versus depth gradient between the western and central areas. This might be an indication that the individual species structure their populations according to a similar basic pattern regardless of differences in local environmental features. The results have been discussed in the general context of the environmental features encountered by the species in each of the sampling areas.

A total of 26 effective trawl hauls using a remotely operated trawl cod-end closure system were carried out to determine whether samples collected in a rear section of the cod-end and in a front section of the cod-end were homogeneous, and can be used as reliable replicates for community sampling and resource assessment. Comparative analyses of these sample hauls and 25 other hauls that did not use the cod-end closure system were also performed. The results indicate certain technical difficulties in the practical operation of the system and that samples were not homogeneous either between the cod-end sections in the same haul or between hauls. The causes of the sample variability in catches from trawl surveys are discussed.

Anthropogenic litter is present in all marine habitats, from beaches to the most remote points in the oceans. On the seafloor, marine litter, particularly plastic, can accumulate in high densities with deleterious consequences for its inhabitants. Yet, because of the high cost involved with sampling the seafloor, no large-scale assessment of distribution patterns was available to date. Here, we present data on litter distribution and density collected during 588 video and trawl surveys across 32 sites in European waters. We found litter to be present in the deepest areas and at locations as remote from land as the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The highest litter density occurs in submarine canyons, whilst the lowest density can be found on continental shelves and on ocean ridges. Plastic was the most prevalent litter item found on the seafloor. Litter from fishing activities (derelict fishing lines and nets) was particularly common on seamounts, banks, mounds and ocean ridges. Our results highlight the extent of the problem and the need for action to prevent increasing accumulation of litter in marine environments.

Major coastal storms, associated with strong winds, high waves and intensified currents, and occasionally with heavy rains and flash floods, are mostly known because of the serious damage they can cause along the shoreline and the threats they pose to navigation. However, there is a profound lack of knowledge on the deep-sea impacts of severe coastal storms. Concurrent measurements of key parameters along the coast and in the deep-sea are extremely rare. Here we present a unique data set showing how one of the most extreme coastal storms of the last decades lashing the Western Mediterranean Sea rapidly impacted the deep-sea ecosystem. The storm peaked the 26(th) of December 2008 leading to the remobilization of a shallow-water reservoir of marine organic carbon associated with fine particles and resulting in its redistribution across the deep basin. The storm also initiated the movement of large amounts of coarse shelf sediment, which abraded and buried benthic communities. Our findings demonstrate, first, that severe coastal storms are highly efficient in transporting organic carbon from shallow water to deep water, thus contributing to its sequestration and, second, that natural, intermittent atmospheric drivers sensitive to global climate change have the potential to tremendously impact the largest and least known ecosystem on Earth, the deep-sea ecosystem.

Dynamics of biological processes on the deep-sea floor are traditionally thought to be controlled by vertical sinking of particles from the euphotic zone at a seasonal scale. However, little is known about the influence of lateral particle transport from continental margins to deep-sea ecosystems. To address this question, we report here how the formation of dense shelf waters and their subsequent downslope cascade, a climate induced phenomenon, affects the population of the deep-sea shrimp Aristeus antennatus. We found evidence that strong currents associated with intense cascading events correlates with the disappearance of this species from its fishing grounds, producing a temporary fishery collapse. Despite this initial negative effect, landings increase between 3 and 5 years after these major events, preceded by an increase of juveniles. The transport of particulate organic matter associated with cascading appears to enhance the recruitment of this deep-sea living resource, apparently mitigating the general trend of overexploitation. Because cascade of dense water from continental shelves is a global phenomenon, we anticipate that its influence on deep-sea ecosystems and fisheries worldwide should be larger than previously thought.

Medicinal plants are widely used as supplements for the treatment of various diseases because of their few side-effects. Here, we examined the anti-obesity effects of a mixture extract of Cornus officinalis and Ribes fasciculatum (CR) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese male mice. Four week old male C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal diet (ND) or 60% high-fat diet (HFD) with different concentrations of CR extracts (75, 150, and 300 mg/kg/day) by oral administration for 12 weeks. CR extract administration prevented HFD-induced weight gain, hepatic steatosis, and adipocyte enlargement through the downregulation of adipogenesis-associated genes in obese male mice. In addition, CR administration improved the impaired glucose metabolism, insulin action, biochemical obesity parameters, and metabolic profiles in HFD-induced male mice. Consequently, the CR extract exhibited beneficial effects on HFD-induced systemic metabolic challenges. Taken together, our findings suggest that CR extract may be a potent therapeutic supplement for the treatment and prevention of obesity.

Developing high-content strains of L-ergothioneine (EGT), an antioxidant amino acid, is an important breeding target for tamogitake mushroom, Pleurotus cornucopiae var. citrinopileatus . We constructed a genetic linkage map based on segregation analysis of markers in 105 F1 progenies. The loci of 245 markers, including 10 AFLP markers, 195 Rad markers, 2 mating type factors, and 38 gene markers, were mapped. The map contained 12 linkage groups with a total genetic distance of 906.8 cM, and an average marker interval of 4.0 cM. The population from crossing between tester monokaryon and F1 progenies was used to characterize quantitative trait loci (QTL) for EGT content. With composite interval mapping (CIM) method, QTL of EGT content were found to be located in linkage group 10, having a Logarithm of the odds (LOD) score of 2.53 with a 10.1% contribution rate. Moreover, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), A/T, was identified in a gene region of the genome in the neighborhood where the QTL peak existed. This SNP genotype was in good agreement with the EGT phenotypes of each strain in the both QTL population and wild population. Thus, this SNP would have great potential value to use the marker-assisted selection (MAS) for this mushroom with high EGT content., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (2021, by The Mycological Society of Japan.)

Osteoporosis is a common disease caused by an imbalance of processes between bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts in postmenopausal women. The roots of Gentiana lutea L. (GL) are reported to have beneficial effects on various human diseases related to liver functions and gastrointestinal motility, as well as on arthritis. Here, we fractionated and isolated bioactive constituent(s) responsible for anti-osteoporotic effects of GL root extract. A single phytochemical compound, loganic acid, was identified as a candidate osteoprotective agent. Its anti-osteoporotic effects were examined in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with loganic acid significantly increased osteoblastic differentiation in preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells by promoting alkaline phosphatase activity and increasing mRNA expression levels of bone metabolic markers such as Alpl , Bglap , and Sp7 . However, loganic acid inhibited osteoclast differentiation of primary-cultured monocytes derived from mouse bone marrow. For in vivo experiments, the effect of loganic acid on ovariectomized (OVX) mice was examined for 12 weeks. Loganic acid prevented OVX-induced bone mineral density loss and improved bone structural properties in osteoporotic model mice. These results suggest that loganic acid may be a potential therapeutic candidate for treatment of osteoporosis.

Obesity is prevalent in modern human societies. We examined the anti-obesity effects of scopolin on adipocyte differentiation in preadipocyte 3T3-L1 cells and weight loss in an ovariectomy (OVX)-induced obese mouse model. Scopolin inhibited adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation in the preadipocyte cells by suppressing the transcription of adipogenic-related factors, including adiponectin ( Adipoq ), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ( Pparg ), lipoprotein lipase ( Lpl ), perilipin1 ( Plin1 ), fatty acid-binding protein 4 ( Fabp4 ), glucose transporter type 4 ( Slc2a4 ), and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha ( Cebpa ). In OVX-induced obese mice, administration of scopolin promoted the reduction of body weight, total fat percentage, liver steatosis, and adipose cell size. In addition, the scopolin-treated OVX mice showed decreased serum levels of leptin and insulin. Taken together, these findings suggest that the use of scopolin prevented adipocyte differentiation and weight gain in vitro and in vivo, indicating that scopolin may be a potential bioactive compound for the treatment and prevention of obesity in humans.

Osteoporosis is a porous bone disease caused by bone density loss, which increases the risk of fractures. Cornus officinalis (CO) and Achyranthes japonica (AJ) have been used as traditional herbal medicine for various disorders in East Asia. Although the anti-osteoporotic effects of single extract of CO and AJ have already been reported, the synergistic effect of a combined mixture has not been studied. In this study, we investigated the effects of a CO and AJ herbal mixture on osteoporosis in in vitro and in vivo models. The results demonstrate that treatment with the CO and AJ mixture significantly promoted osteoblast differentiation of MC3T3-E1 mouse preosteoblasts through the upregulation of osteoblastic differentiation-associated genes such as alkaline phosphatase ( Alpl ), runt-related transcription factor 2 ( Runx2 ), and bone gamma-carboxyglutamic acid-containing protein ( Bglap ) , while the mixture significantly inhibited differentiation of osteoclasts isolated from primary-cultured mouse monocytes. In addition, oral administration of CO and AJ mixture significantly prevented bone mineral density loss and trabecular bone structures in an ovariectomy-induced osteoporotic mouse model. These results suggest that the combination treatment of CO and AJ mixture might be a beneficial therapy for osteoporosis.

Obesity is one of the most common metabolic diseases resulting in metabolic syndrome. In this study, we investigated the antiobesity effect of Gentiana lutea L. (GL) extract on 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and a high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced mouse model. For the induction of preadipocytes into adipocytes, 3T3-L1 cells were induced by treatment with 0.5 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, 1 mM dexamethasone, and 1 μg/mL insulin. Adipogenesis was assessed based on the messenger ribonucleic acid expression of adipogenic-inducing genes (adiponectin ( Adipoq ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha ( Cebpa ), and glucose transporter type 4 ( Slc2a4 )) and lipid accumulation in the differentiated adipocytes was visualized by Oil Red O staining. In vivo, obese mice were induced with HFD and coadministered with 100 or 200 mg/kg/day of GL extract for 12 weeks. GL extract treatment inhibited adipocyte differentiation by downregulating the expression of adipogenic-related genes in 3T3-L1 cells. In the obese mouse model, GL extract prevented HFD-induced weight gain, fatty hepatocyte deposition, and adipocyte size by decreasing the secretion of leptin and insulin. In conclusion, GL extract shows antiobesity effects in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that this extract can be beneficial in the prevention of obesity.

Medicinal plants have been used worldwide as primary alternative healthcare supplements. Cornus officinalis (CO) and Ribes fasciculatum (RF) are traditional medicinal plants applied in East Asia to treat human diseases such as hepatitis, osteoporosis, oxidative stress and allergy. The aim of this study was to examine the anti-obesity effect of CO and RF on preadipocyte 3T3-L1 cells in vitro and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mice in vivo. Combination treatment of CO and RF in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells inhibited adipocyte differentiation through downregulation of adipogenesis-associated genes such as CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha ( Cebpa ), fatty acid binding protein 4 ( Fabp4 ), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Pparg ) and sterol regulatory element binding protein ( Srebp1 ). In vivo animal models showed that a mixture of CO and RF inhibited HFD-induced weight gain, resulting in decreased abdominal visceral fat tissues and fatty hepatocyte deposition. In addition, CO+RF treatment decreased HFD-induced adipogenesis-associated genes in abdominal white fat tissue. These results suggest that administration of a CO and RF mixture prevented adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation in preadipocyte cells and HFD-induced body weight in obesity mice. Therefore, combined therapy of CO and RF may be a protective therapeutic agent against obesity.

Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone density and quality with high risk of bone fracture. Here, we investigated anti-osteoporotic effects of natural plants ( Lycii Radicis Cortex (LRC) and Achyranthes japonica (AJ)) in osteoblast and osteoclast cells in vitro and ovariectomized mice in vivo. Combined LRC and AJ enhanced osteoblast differentiation and mineralized bone-forming osteoblasts by the up-regulation of bone metabolic markers ( Alpl, Runx2 and Bglap ) in the osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1. However, LRC and AJ inhibited osteoclast differentiation of monocytes isolated from mouse bone marrow. In vivo experiments showed that treatment of LRC+AJ extract prevented OVX-induced trabecular bone loss and osteoclastogenesis in an osteoporotic animal model. These results suggest that LRC+AJ extract may be a good therapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of osteoporotic bone loss.

Obesity is caused by an excess storage of body fat, resulting from a chronic imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. Gentiana lutea L. (GL) root has been reported to reduce lipid accumulation in the aortic wall of diabetic rats. Here, we performed fractionation and isolation of the bioactive constituent(s) that may be responsible for the antiadipogenic effects of the GL root extract. A single compound, loganic acid, was identified as a candidate component in the 30% ethanol extract of GL. Loganic acid treatment significantly decreased the adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in a dose-dependent manner. The expression of key adipogenesis-related genes such as adiponectin ( Adipoq ), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ( Pparg ), lipoprotein lipase ( Lpl ), perilipin1 ( Plin1 ), fatty acid binding protein 4 ( Fabp4 ), glucose transporter type 4 ( Slc2a4 ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha ( Cebpa ), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha ( Tnf ) were significantly reduced following treatment with loganic acid. In vivo experiments in an ovariectomy-induced obesity mouse model showed that loganic acid (oral administration with 10 and 50 mg/kg/day) significantly inhibited body weight gain, total fat increase, fatty hepatocyte deposition in the liver, and adipocyte enlargement in the abdominal visceral fat tissues. These results suggest that loganic acid in the GL root extract has antiadipogenic effects in vitro and in vivo. Loganic acid may be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of obesity, particularly in menopausal obese women.

Improvements in indices of vascular health and endothelial function have been inversely associated with hypertension, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (e.g., myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure), renal failure, and mortality. Aerobic exercise training (AEXT) has been positively associated with improvements in clinical health values, as well as vascular health biomarkers, and endothelial function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether measures of exercise adherence were related to clinical outcome measures and indices of vascular health subsequent to a 6-month AEXT intervention in a middle-to-older aged African American cohort. Following dietary stabilization, sedentary, apparently healthy, African American adults (40 - 71 y/o) underwent baseline testing including blood pressure, flow-mediated dilation (FMD) studies, fasting blood sampling, and graded exercise testing. Upon completion of a supervised 6-month AEXT intervention, participants repeated all baseline tests. Exercise adherence was measured three ways: exercise percentage, exercise volume, and exercise score. There were no significant correlations between the changes in the vascular health biomarkers of the participants and any of the adherence measures. In addition, there were no significant correlations between any of the adherence measures and the clinical values of the participants that had been significantly changed pre-post-AEXT. Participants improved their clinical and vascular health and decreased risk factors for hypertension and cardiovascular disease regardless of their level of adherence to AEXT. Future studies should continue to accurately quantify adherence in order to assess the exercise dose for improvements in vascular and clinical health.

Background: Performance-based financing (PBF) was first implemented in Burundi in 2006 as a pilot programme in three provinces and was rolled out nationwide in 2010. PBF is a reform approach to improve the quality, quantity, and equity of health services and aims at achieving universal health coverage. It focuses on how to best motivate health practitioners., Objective: To elicit physicians' and nurses' experiences and views on how PBF influenced and helped them in healthcare delivery., Methods: A qualitative cross-sectional study was carried out among frontline health workers such as physicians and nurses. The data was gathered through individual face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 6 physicians and 30 nurses from February to March 2011 in three hospitals in Gitega Province. A simple framework approach and thematic analysis using a combination of manual technique and MAXQDA software guided the analysis of the interview data., Results: Overall, the interviewees felt that the PBF scheme had provided positive motivation to improve the quality of care, mainly in the structures and process of care. The utilization of health services and the relationship between health practitioners and patients also improved. The salary top-ups were recognized as the most significant impetus to increase effort in improving the quality of care. The small and sometimes delayed financial incentives paid to physicians and nurses were criticized. The findings of this study also indicate that the positive interaction between performance-based incentive schemes and other health policies is crucial in achieving comprehensive improvement in healthcare delivery., Conclusions: PBF has the potential to motivate medical staff to improve healthcare provision. The views of medical staff and the context of the area of implementation have to be taken into consideration when designing and implementing PBF schemes.

The potential of an advanced analytical strategy based on the use of gas chromatography (GC) coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) with two different analyzers and ionization sources has been investigated and applied to the non-target analysis of food packaging contaminants. Initially, the approach based on GC-time-of-flight (TOF) MS with electron ionization (EI) source allowed performing a library search and mass accurate measurements of selected ions. Then, a second analysis was performed using hybrid quadrupole (Q) TOF MS with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source in order to search for the molecular ion or the protonated molecule and study the fragmentation behavior. This analytical strategy was applied to the analysis of four polypropylene/ethylene vinyl alcohol/polypropylene (PP/EVOH/PP) multilayer trays and one PP/Al foil/PP film, each one subjected to migration assays with the food simulants isooctane and Tenax®, in order to investigate its potential on the determination of migrant substances., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The requirements to transform a short disintegrin of the RGD clade into an RTS disintegrin, were investigated through the generation of recombinant mutants of ocellatusin in which the RGD tripeptide was substituted for RTS in different positions along the integrin-specificity loop. Any attempt to create an active integrin α(1)β(1) inhibitory motif within the specificity loop of ocellatusin was unsuccessful. Replacing the whole RGD-loop of ocellatusin by the RTS-loop of jerdostatin was neither sufficient for confering α(1)β(1) binding specificity to this ocellatusin-RTS Frankenstein(2) mutant. Factors other than the integrin-binding loop sequence per se are thus required to transform a disintegrin scaffold from the RGD clade into another scaffold from the RTS/KTS clade. Moreover, our results provide evidences, that the RTS/KTS short disintegrins have potentially been recruited into the venom gland of Eurasian vipers independently from the canonical neofunctionalization pathway of the RGD disintegrins. PCR-amplifications of jerdostatin-like sequences from a number of taxa across reptiles, including snakes (Crotalinae, Viperinae, and Elapidae taxa) and lizards (Lacertidae and Iguanidae) clearly showed that genes coding for RTS/KTS disintegrins existed long before the split of Lacertidae and Iguania, thus predating the recruitment of the SVMP precursors of disintegrins, providing strong support for the view of an independent evolutionary history of the RTS/KTS and the RGD clades of short disintegrins., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)