The Little Auk Alle alle: an ecological indicator of a changing Arctic and a model organism

AbstractThe Little Auk Alle alle is a small planktivorous auk breeding colonially in the High Arctic. Owing to its large population size and bi-environmental lifestyle, resulting in the large-scale transport of matter from sea to land, the Little Auk is one of the most important components of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems in the Arctic. As a result of globalization, which facilitates access to remote areas of the Earth, a growing number of studies is being dedicated to this endemic Arctic seabird. Research has focussed primarily on the importance of the Little Auk as an ecological indicator reacting to the climatic and oceanological changes that are particularly evident in the Arctic as a result of Arctic amplification (warming is more rapid in the Arctic than in any other region on Earth). Importantly, the species is also used as a model to investigate matter and energy flow through the ecosystem, mate choice, parental care and biological rhythms. Here, we review the natural history of the Little Auk, highlighting studies with the potential to provide answers to universal questions regarding the response of seabirds to climate variability and avian reproductive behaviour, e.g. threshold of foraging flexibility in response to environmental variability, carry-over effects between the breeding and non-breeding periods, the reasons for the transition from bi- to uni-parental care, parental coordination mechanisms.

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Small birds, big effects: the little auk ( Alle alle ) transforms high Arctic ecosystems

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2016.2572 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 284 (1849) ◽

pp. 20162572 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Ivan González-Bergonzoni ◽

Kasper L. Johansen ◽

Anders Mosbech ◽

Frank Landkildehus ◽

Erik Jeppesen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Production ◽

Ecosystem Engineer ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Terrestrial Vegetation ◽

Arctic Ecosystems ◽

Little Auk ◽

Alle Alle ◽

The North ◽

Bird Impact

In some arctic areas, marine-derived nutrients (MDN) resulting from fish migrations fuel freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, increasing primary production and biodiversity. Less is known, however, about the role of seabird-MDN in shaping ecosystems. Here, we examine how the most abundant seabird in the North Atlantic, the little auk ( Alle alle ), alters freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems around the North Water Polynya (NOW) in Greenland. We compare stable isotope ratios ( δ 15 N and δ 13 C) of freshwater and terrestrial biota, terrestrial vegetation indices and physical–chemical properties, productivity and community structure of fresh waters in catchments with and without little auk colonies. The presence of colonies profoundly alters freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems by providing nutrients and massively enhancing primary production. Based on elevated δ 15 N in MDN, we estimate that MDN fuels more than 85% of terrestrial and aquatic biomass in bird influenced systems. Furthermore, by using different proxies of bird impact (colony distance, algal δ 15 N) it is possible to identify a gradient in ecosystem response to increasing bird impact. Little auk impact acidifies the freshwater systems, reducing taxonomic richness of macroinvertebrates and truncating food webs. These results demonstrate that the little auk acts as an ecosystem engineer, transforming ecosystems across a vast region of Northwest Greenland.

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Sex differences in Little Auk Alle alle parental care: transition from biparental to paternal-only care

Ibis ◽

10.1111/j.1474-919x.2004.00297.x ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 146 (4) ◽

pp. 642-651 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Ann M. A. Harding ◽

Thomas I. Van Pelt ◽

Jan T. Lifjeld ◽

Fridtjof Mehlum

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Parental Care ◽

Care Transition ◽

Little Auk ◽

Alle Alle

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Duration of female parental care and their survival in the little auk Alle alle - are these two traits linked?

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology ◽

10.1007/s00265-020-02862-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 74 (7) ◽

Author(s):

Katarzyna Wojczulanis-Jakubas ◽

Marina Jiménez-Muñoz ◽

Dariusz Jakubas ◽

Dorota Kidawa ◽

Nina Karnovsky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parental Care ◽

Little Auk ◽

Alle Alle

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In Vivo Production of RNA Aptamers and Nanoparticles: Problems and Prospects

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26051422 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (5) ◽

pp. 1422

Author(s):

Ousama Al Shanaa ◽

Andrey Rumyantsev ◽

Elena Sambuk ◽

Marina Padkina

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Large Scale ◽

Potential Model ◽

Model Organism ◽

Rna Aptamers ◽

Early Stages ◽

Near Future

RNA aptamers are becoming increasingly attractive due to their superior properties. This review discusses the early stages of aptamer research, the main developments in this area, and the latest technologies being developed. The review also highlights the advantages of RNA aptamers in comparison to antibodies, considering the great potential of RNA aptamers and their applications in the near future. In addition, it is shown how RNA aptamers can form endless 3-D structures, giving rise to various structural and functional possibilities. Special attention is paid to the Mango, Spinach and Broccoli fluorescent RNA aptamers, and the advantages of split RNA aptamers are discussed. The review focuses on the importance of creating a platform for the synthesis of RNA nanoparticles in vivo and examines yeast, namely Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a potential model organism for the production of RNA nanoparticles on a large scale.

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Spatio-temporal associations of albacore CPUEs in the Northeastern Pacific with regional SST and climate environmental variables

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fst238 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 71 (7) ◽

pp. 1717-1727 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

A. Jason Phillips ◽

Lorenzo Ciannelli ◽

Richard D. Brodeur ◽

William G. Pearcy ◽

John Childers

Keyword(s):

North Pacific ◽

Large Scale ◽

Environmental Variability ◽

Southern Oscillation ◽

Spatial Dynamics ◽

Catch Per Unit Effort ◽

Variable Effect ◽

Positive Effects ◽

The North ◽

Additive Mixed Models

Abstract This study investigated the spatial distribution of juvenile North Pacific albacore (Thunnus alalunga) in relation to local environmental variability [i.e. sea surface temperature (SST)], and two large-scale indices of climate variability, [the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the Multivariate El Niño/Southern Oscillation Index (MEI)]. Changes in local and climate variables were correlated with 48 years of albacore troll catch per unit effort (CPUE) in 1° latitude/longitude cells, using threshold Generalized Additive Mixed Models (tGAMMs). Model terms were included to account for non-stationary and spatially variable effects of the intervening covariates on albacore CPUE. Results indicate that SST had a positive and spatially variable effect on albacore CPUE, with increasingly positive effects to the North, while PDO had an overall negative effect. Although albacore CPUE increased with SST both before and after a threshold year of 1986, such effect geographically shifted north after 1986. This is the first study to demonstrate the non-stationary spatial dynamics of albacore tuna, linked with a major shift of the North Pacific. Results imply that if ocean temperatures continue to increase, US west coast fisher communities reliant on commercial albacore fisheries are likely to be negatively affected in the southern areas but positively affected in the northern areas, where current albacore landings are highest.

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Effects of Climatic Drivers and Teleconnections on Late 20th Century Trends in Spring Freshet of Four Major Arctic-Draining Rivers

Water ◽

10.3390/w13020179 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 179

Author(s):

Roxanne Ahmed ◽

Terry Prowse ◽

Yonas Dibike ◽

Barrie Bonsal

Keyword(s):

Arctic Ocean ◽

Large Scale ◽

Southern Oscillation ◽

Rate Of Change ◽

The Arctic ◽

Late 20Th Century ◽

Basin Scale ◽

The Arctic Ocean ◽

Spring Freshet ◽

Climatic Drivers

Spring freshet is the dominant annual discharge event in all major Arctic draining rivers with large contributions to freshwater inflow to the Arctic Ocean. Research has shown that the total freshwater influx to the Arctic Ocean has been increasing, while at the same time, the rate of change in the Arctic climate is significantly higher than in other parts of the globe. This study assesses the large-scale atmospheric and surface climatic conditions affecting the magnitude, timing and regional variability of the spring freshets by analyzing historic daily discharges from sub-basins within the four largest Arctic-draining watersheds (Mackenzie, Ob, Lena and Yenisei). Results reveal that climatic variations closely match the observed regional trends of increasing cold-season flows and earlier freshets. Flow regulation appears to suppress the effects of climatic drivers on freshet volume but does not have a significant impact on peak freshet magnitude or timing measures. Spring freshet characteristics are also influenced by El Niño-Southern Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, the Arctic Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation, particularly in their positive phases. The majority of significant relationships are found in unregulated stations. This study provides a key insight into the climatic drivers of observed trends in freshet characteristics, whilst clarifying the effects of regulation versus climate at the sub-basin scale.

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Large scale magnetic anomalies over western Canada and the Arctic: a discussion

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences ◽

10.1139/e76-082 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 790-802 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

R. L. Coles ◽

G. V. Haines ◽

W. Hannaford

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Field ◽

Large Scale ◽

Elevated Temperatures ◽

Magnetic Anomalies ◽

The Arctic ◽

Evolutionary Development ◽

Magnetic Feature ◽

Western Canada ◽

Arctic Regions ◽

The Magnetic Field

A contoured map of vertical magnetic field residuals (relative to the IGRF) over western Canada and adjacent Arctic regions has been produced by amalgamating new data with those from previous surveys. The measurements were made at altitudes between 3.5 and 5.5 km above sea level. The map shows the form of the magnetic field within the waveband 30 to 5000 km. A magnetic feature of several thousand kilometres wavelength dominates the map, and is probably due in major part to sources in the earth's core. Superimposed on this are several groups of anomalies which contain wavelengths of the order of a thousand kilometres. The patterns of the short wavelength anomalies provide a broad view of major structures and indicate several regimes of distinctive evolutionary development. Enhancement of viscous magnetization at elevated temperatures may account for the concentration of intense anomalies observed near the western edge of the craton.

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Variation in faecal corticosterone metabolites in an Arctic seabird, the Little Auk (Alle alle) during the nesting period

Polar Biology ◽

10.1007/s00300-014-1464-3 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 37 (5) ◽

pp. 641-649 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Dorota Kidawa ◽

Katarzyna Wojczulanis-Jakubas ◽

Dariusz Jakubas ◽

Rupert Palme ◽

Lech Stempniewicz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Little Auk ◽

Alle Alle ◽

Faecal Corticosterone Metabolites ◽

Corticosterone Metabolites

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Meeting Highlights: Genome Sequencing and Biology 2001

Comparative and Functional Genomics ◽

10.1002/cfg.97 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

pp. 243-251

Author(s):

Jo Wixon

Keyword(s):

Comparative Genomics ◽

Functional Genomics ◽

Genome Sequencing ◽

Large Scale ◽

Model Organism

We bring you a report from the CSHL Genome Sequencing and Biology Meeting, which has a long and prestigious history. This year there were sessions on large-scale sequencing and analysis, polymorphisms (covering discovery and technologies and mapping and analysis), comparative genomics of mammalian and model organism genomes, functional genomics and bioinformatics.

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