http://www.columbia.edu/~col8/BuckAxel_ORcloning_Cell91.pdf

A novel multigene family may encode odorant receptors: A molecular basis for odor recognition

In marine ecosystems, rising atmospheric CO2 and climate change are associated with concurrent shifts in temperature, circulation, stratification, nutrient input, oxygen content, and ocean acidification, with potentially wideranging biological effects. Population-level shifts are occurring because of physiological intolerance to new environments, altered dispersal patterns, and changes in species interactions. Together with local climate-driven invasion and extinction, these processes result in altered community structure and diversity, including possible emergence of novel ecosystems. Impacts are particularly striking for the poles and the tropics, because of the sensitivity of polar ecosystems to sea-ice retreat and poleward species migrations as well as the sensitivity of coral-algal symbiosis to minor increases in temperature. Midlatitude upwelling systems, like the California Current, exhibit strong linkages between climate and species distributions, phenology, and demography. Aggregated effects may modify energy and material flows as well as biogeochemical cycles, eventually impacting the overall ecosystem functioning and services upon which people and societies depend.

/pdf/climate-change-impacts-on-marine-ecosystems-mu6opf56n1.pdf

Climate Change Impacts on Marine Ecosystems

Continued growth and intensi¢cation of aquaculture production depends upon the development of sustainable protein sources to replace ¢sh meal in aquafeeds. This document reviews various plant feedstuis, which currently are or potentially may be incorporated into aquafeeds to support the sustainable production of various ¢sh species in aquaculture. The plant feedstuis considered include oilseeds, legumes and cereal grains, which traditionally have been used as protein or energy concentrates as well as novel products developed through various processing technologies. The nutritional composition of these various feedstuis are considered along with the presence of any bioactive compounds that may positively or negatively aiect the target organism. Lipid composition of these feedstuis is not speci¢cally considered although it is recognized that incorporating lipid supplements in aquafeeds to achieve proper fatty acid pro¢les to meet the metabolic requirements of ¢sh and maximize human health bene¢ts are important aspects. Speci¢c strategies and techniques to optimize the nutritional composition of plant feedstuis and limit potentially adverse eiects of bioactive compounds are also described. Such information will provide a foundation for developing strategic research plans for increasing the use of plant feedstuis in aquaculture to reduce dependence of animal feedstuis and thereby enhance the sustainability of aquaculture.

/pdf/expanding-the-utilization-of-sustainable-plant-products-in-4l188wibvf.pdf

Expanding the utilization of sustainable plant products in aquafeeds: a review

Ocean acidification represents a threat to marine species worldwide, and forecasting the ecological impacts of acidification is a high priority for science, management, and policy. As research on the topic expands at an exponential rate, a comprehensive understanding of the variability in organisms' responses and corresponding levels of certainty is necessary to forecast the ecological effects. Here, we perform the most comprehensive meta-analysis to date by synthesizing the results of 228 studies examining biological responses to ocean acidification. The results reveal decreased survival, calcification, growth, development and abundance in response to acidification when the broad range of marine organisms is pooled together. However, the magnitude of these responses varies among taxonomic groups, suggesting there is some predictable trait-based variation in sensitivity, despite the investigation of approximately 100 new species in recent research. The results also reveal an enhanced sensitivity of mollusk larvae, but suggest that an enhanced sensitivity of early life history stages is not universal across all taxonomic groups. In addition, the variability in species' responses is enhanced when they are exposed to acidification in multi-species assemblages, suggesting that it is important to consider indirect effects and exercise caution when forecasting abundance patterns from single-species laboratory experiments. Furthermore, the results suggest that other factors, such as nutritional status or source population, could cause substantial variation in organisms' responses. Last, the results highlight a trend towards enhanced sensitivity to acidification when taxa are concurrently exposed to elevated seawater temperature.

/pdf/impacts-of-ocean-acidification-on-marine-organisms-j52whpzuru.pdf

Impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms: quantifying sensitivities and interaction with warming

http://www.diit.unict.it/users/spalazzo/materiale/Nanonetworks_Survey.pdf

Nanonetworks: A new communication paradigm

The persistence of most coastal marine species depends on larvae
ﬁnding suitable adult habitat at the end of an offshore dispersive
stage that can last weeks or months. We tested the effects that
ocean acidiﬁcation from elevated levels of atmospheric carbon
dioxide (CO2) could have on the ability of larvae to detect olfactory
cues from adult habitats. Larval clownﬁsh reared in control sea-
water (pH 8.15) discriminated between a range of cues that could
help them locate reef habitat and suitable settlement sites. This
discriminatory ability was disrupted when larvae were reared in
conditions simulating CO2-induced ocean acidiﬁcation. Larvae be-
came strongly attracted to olfactory stimuli they normally avoided
when reared at levels of ocean pH that could occur ca. 2100 (pH 7.8)
and they no longer responded to any olfactory cues when reared
at pH levels (pH 7.6) that might be attained later next century on
a business-as-usual carbon-dioxide emissions trajectory. If acidiﬁ-
cation continues unabated, the impairment of sensory ability will
reduce population sustainability of many marine species, with
potentially profound consequences for marine diversity

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/106/6/1848.full.pdf

Ocean acidification impairs olfactory discrimination and homing ability of a marine fish

The fish gustatory system provides the final sensory evaluation in the feeding process. Unlike other vertebrates, the gustatory system in fish may be divided into two distinct subsystems, oral and extraoral, both of them mediating behavioural responses to food items brought in contact with the fish. The abundance of taste buds is another peculiarity of the fish gustatory system. For many years, morphological and electrophysiological techniques dominated the studies of the fish gustatory system, and systematic investigations of fish taste preferences have only been performed during the last 10 years. In the present review, basic principles in the taste preferences of fish are formulated. Categories or types of taste substances are defined in accordance with their effects on fish feeding behaviour and further mediation by the oral or extraoral taste systems (incitants, suppressants, stimulants, deterrents, enhancers and indifferent substances). Information on taste preferences to different types of substances including classical taste substances, free amino acids, betaine, nucleotides, nucleosides, amines, sugars and other hydrocarbons, organic acids, alcohols and aldehydes, and their mixtures, is summarised. The threshold concentrations for taste substances are discussed, and the relationship between fish taste preferences with fish systematic position and fish ecology is evaluated. Fish taste preferences are highly species-specific, and the differences among fish species are apparent when comparing the width and composition of spectra for both the stimulants and the deterrents. What is evident is that there is a strong similarity in the taste preferences between geographically isolated fish populations of the same species, and that taste preferences are similar in males and females, although at the individual level, it may vary dramatically among conspecifics. What is noteworthy is that taste responses are more stable and invariable for highly palatable substances than for substances with a low level of palatability. Taste preferences as a function of pH is analysed. There is a good correspondence between development of the gustatory system in fish ontogeny and its ability to discriminate taste properties of food items. There is also a correspondence between oral and extraoral taste preferences for a given species; however, there is no correlation between smell and taste preferences. Taste preferences in fish show low plasticity (in relation to the diet), appear to be determined genetically and seem to be patroclinous. Fish feeding motivation and various environmental factors like water temperature and pollutants such as heavy metals and low pH water may shift fish taste preferences. Comparisons between bioassay and electrophysiological data show that palatability is not synonymous with excitability in the gustatory system. The chemical nature of stimulants and deterrents in various hydrobionts is outlined. The significance of basic knowledge in fish taste preferences for aquaculture and fisheries is emphasised.

Taste preferences in fishes

Many animals use their vomeronasal organs to gain direct and specific contact with chemical cues released by congeners and in biological fluids. These cues provide information about the physiological status of the emitter and facilitate or regulate social interactions such as sexual relationships. The present review gives a short description of the discovery of the vomeronasal organ and the pivotal findings of Jacobson. The distribution of the organ and its anatomy in some vertebrates are described. The mechanisms for stimulus entry and egress are discussed, and the findings that led to the appreciation of the vomeronasal organ in mammals as a main chemosensory organ for pheromones mediating reproductive status and inducing sexual behaviour are reported. The anatomical, biochemical and functional properties of the receptor neurones are described.

Structure and function of the vomeronasal organ.

Monopolar DC-recordings were made simultaneously from two positions on the olfactory bulb of chars (Salmo alpinus L.) and graylings (Thymallus thymallu L.) using bile acids and amino acids as olfactory stimulants. The bile acids induced responses with characteristic spatial differences from those of the amino acids. The distribution of responses to bile acids indicated a neuronal activity in the medial part of the bulb. In contrast, amino acids elicit responses in the lateral part of the bulb. Taurine conjugated bile acids were up to 1 000 times more potent as olfactory stimuli than methionine. The results suggest that olfactory receptors are of two types, one responding to bile acids, the other to amino acids. 3 -alpha-hydroxysteroids are released from the fish into the water in quantities that suffice for detection by their olfactory system. The odorant potency of the bile acids, their evolutionary history and variability, together with their renowned adherent properties made them interesting candidates for specific signals in the acquatic environment.

Kjell B. Døving

Papers

Ocean acidification impairs olfactory discrimination and homing ability of a marine fish

Taste preferences in fishes

Structure and function of the vomeronasal organ.

Olfactory sensitivity to bile acids in salmonid fishes.

The functional organization of the fish olfactory system.