Marine Invertebrates CAS BI 547 I

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Marine Invertebrates CAS BI 547 I Marine Invertebrates CAS BI 547 I. Course Description: This course examines the diversity of marine animals. We focus on major evolutionary innovations that occurred during the 600 million year history of animals and contemporary ecological processes that shape coastal marine communities. Topics include major features of body plans (multicellularity, symmetry, paired appendages, etc.), reproductive strategies (sex, asexual propagation, regeneration, etc.), trophic strategies (infaunal filter feeders, pelagic predators, parasites), and the responses of marine animals to environmental challenges, both natural and anthropogenic. In the laboratory portion of the course, students will conduct original research into the ecology and evolution of two close related sea anemones. (1) The starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, is a denizen of estuarine pools. Students working on “Stella” will focus on how this animal makes a living in the harsh and rapidly changing environment of a coastal salt marsh, and whether different genetic strains of the anemone are differentially adapted to stress. (2) The lined sea anemone, Edwardsiella lineata, is closely related to Nematostella, but it lives in coastal marine habitats, and it has recently evolved into a parasite. Research on “Ed” will focus on key elements of the relationship between the parasite and its comb-jelly host such as the fitness consequences of infection for the host and the mode of parasite transmission. Depending on the particular question(s) you are addressing, your research may include field work at local coastal habitats or controlled laboratory studies on whole organisms. In past years, publication-quality original data has been generated, and students have contributed as co-authors on manuscripts that report findings from the class. II. Prerequisites: BI 107 and BI260 [or permission of instructor]. III. Course Website: http://people.bu.edu/jrf3/BI547 The course website contains all the information present in this syllabus plus additional resources including downloadable course notes, laboratory manuals, required and supplemental readings, animations, and announcements. You should consult the course web site regularly. You will be notified of important updates to the website by e-mail. IV. Instructors: John R. Finnerty Elizabeth Burmester (TF) Office: BRB 425 Office: BRB 404 Office Hours: M:4-5; Tu:4-5; Th 12-1; Office Hours: Individually arranged appts. Phone: 353-6984 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] V. Grading ! Grades will be based on the quality of your research and a final oral research report. Discussion and collaboration among students is encouraged, but I will also be looking for signs of individual effort, scientific logic, and creativity. Hard work and enthusiastic participation will be well-rewarded. VI. Readings Primary Text: • Invertebrate Zoology, 7th edition, by Ruppert, Fox and Barnes Background Readings (Available as .pdf files on the course website): • Sippewissett (or, Life on a Salt Marsh) by T. Traver • Biology of the Invertebrates. by J. Pechenik. • Wild Solutions by Andrew Beattie and Paul R. Ehrlich • The Cooperative Gene : How Mendel's Demon Explains the Evolution of Complex Beings, by Mark Ridley • “Do Parasites Rule the World?” by Carl Zimmer, Discover, August 2000, pp. 80-85 • Embryology: Constructing the Organism, Eds.: Scott Gilbert and Anne Raunio, Ch. 1-2 VII. Lecture & Laboratory Schedule ! Attendance at all lectures, collecting trips, and laboratory sessions is mandatory. Your final grade will be penalized 2.5% for each unexcused absence from a lecture or lab session. Monday, SEPTEMBER 6 University Holiday Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 7 LECTURES: The Animal Kingdom & The History of Earth’s Biodiversity Readings Ruppert et al., pp. 11-21; 30-31 (“Chlorophyta” and “Choanoflagellata”); 54-55 (“Phylogeny of Protozoa”); 70-74; 9:00-10:20 Lecture 01. Earth's History of Biodiversity. 10:30-11:50 Lecture 02. The Origin of Multicellular Animals RESEARCH 1:30-4:00 Lab Discussion A. Nematostella — portrait of a saltmarsh anemone Preparation for field collection, Plum Island. Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 8 9:00-5:00 Field collection & analysis of field samples. Thursday, SEPTEMBER 9 LECTURES: Animal “Characters”Evolutionarily Derived Traits of Metazoans Readings Gilbert & Raunio, Chapter 1; Pechenik, Chapter 2; 9:00-10:20 Lecture 03. Importance of Phylogeny 10:30-11:50 Lecture 04. Important Animal Characters RESEARCH 1:30-5:00 Lab Discussion B. Edwardsiella — portrait of a parasite Analysis of field samples. Friday, SEPTEMBER 10 9:00-5:00 Field collection. Monday, SEPTEMBER 13 LECTURES: The Early Radiation of Animals Readings Ruppert et al., pp. 77-94; Geological Timescale (available on course website) 9:00-10:20 Lecture 05. The Evolutionary Radiation of Major Animal Lineages 10:30-11:50 Lecture 06. The Phylum Porifera: Sponges RESEARCH 1:00-2:20 Lab Discussion C. Environmental stressors in the marine realm. 2:30-5:00 Analysis of field samples. Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 14 9:00-5:00 Lab research / field work. Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 15 LECTURE—The “Basal” Eumetazoa (“true animals”) Readings Ruppert et al., pp. 111-130; 181-191; 9:00-10:20 Lecture 07. The Phylum Cnidaria: Hydras, Jellyfishes, Sea anemones, and corals. 10:30-11:50 Lecture 08. The Phylum Ctenophora: The comb jellies. RESEARCH 1:00-1:50 DISCUSSION: Polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. 2:00-5:00 DNA isolation from sea anemones. (continued) Thursday, SEPTEMBER 16 9:00-5:00 Lab research / field work. Friday, SEPTEMBER 17 LECTURE—Early Animal “Explosions” and the Increase of Animal Complexity Readings Raff, Chapter 3. 9:00-10:20 Lecture 09. The Evolutionary Radiation of Early Animal Lineages 10:30-11:50 Lecture 10. The Ediacaran Fauna and the Cambrian Explosion RESEARCH 1:00-1:50 Lab research Monday, SEPTEMBER 20 LECTURE—Bilaterian Coelomate Phyla, part I. the "Lophotrochozoa" Readings Ruppert et al., pp. 284-291 (“Generalized Mollusc”); 414-422; 9:00-10:20 Lecture 11. Biomechanical Analysis of Animal Locomotion 10:30-11:50 Lecture 12. The Phylum Annelida RESEARCH 1:30-5:00 Lab research. Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 21 9:00-5:00 Lab research / field work. Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 22 LECTURE—Bilaterian Coelomate Phyla, part II. the "Ecydysozoa" Readings Ruppert et al., pp. 518-542; 9:00-10:20 Lecture 13. The Phylum Mollusca 10:30-11:50 Lecture 14. The Phylum Arthropoda RESEARCH 1:00-1:50 Discussion: Environmental Stress and Gene Expression 2:00-5:00 Independent research. Thursday, SEPTEMBER 23 LECTURE—Axial Complexity / WDO's (Worms of Disputed Origins) Readings Ruppert et al., pp. 99-109; 197-222; 226-249; 757-770; 9:00-10:20 Lecture 15. The Evolution of Axial Complexity 10:30-11:50 Lecture 16. Platyhelminthes, Acoelomorpha, and Nematoda. RESEARCH 1:30-5:00 Independent research. Friday, SEPTEMBER 24 LECTURE—Parasitism / The Non-Chordate Deuterostomes Readings Zimmer: “Do Parasites Rule the World? [download via course website;] Ruppert et al., pp. 858-870; 873-889; 9:00-10:20 Lecture 17. Parasitism 10:30-11:50 Lecture 18. The Phylum Echinodermata RESEARCH 1:30-5:00 Independent research. Monday, SEPTEMBER 27 LECTURE—The Chordates Readings Ruppert et al., pp. 873-889; pp. 931-960; 9:00-10:20 Lecture 19. The Phylum Chordata 10:30-11:50 Lecture 20. The Origin of the Vertebrates RESEARCH 1:30-5:00 Data analysis & talk preparation Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 28 9:00-12:00 Talks 12:00-2:00 The Feast of Five Phyla VIII. Academic Conduct It is each student's responsibility to know and understand the provisions of the Academic Conduct Code in the College of Arts and Sciences. The Code is available online at http://www.cs.bu.edu/ugradprogram/ conduct.html. Cases of suspected misconduct will be referred to the Dean of the College. If the Dean's office comes to the conclusion that cheating or plagiarism have occurred, a grade of zero will be awarded for the assignment in question..
Recommended publications
  • An Adaptable Chromosome Preparation Methodology for Use In
    Guo et al. BMC Biology (2018) 16:25 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-018-0497-4 METHODOLOGY ARTICLE Open Access An adaptable chromosome preparation methodology for use in invertebrate research organisms Longhua Guo1†, Alice Accorsi2,3†, Shuonan He2, Carlos Guerrero-Hernández2, Shamilene Sivagnanam4, Sean McKinney2, Matthew Gibson2 and Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado2,3* Abstract Background: The ability to efficiently visualize and manipulate chromosomes is fundamental to understanding the genome architecture of organisms. Conventional chromosome preparation protocols developed for mammalian cells and those relying on species-specific conditions are not suitable for many invertebrates. Hence, a simple and inexpensive chromosome preparation protocol, adaptable to multiple invertebrate species, is needed. Results: We optimized a chromosome preparation protocol and applied it to several planarian species (phylum Platyhelminthes), the freshwater apple snail Pomacea canaliculata (phylum Mollusca), and the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (phylum Cnidaria). We demonstrated that both mitotically active adult tissues and embryos can be used as sources of metaphase chromosomes, expanding the potential use of this technique to invertebrates lacking cell lines and/or with limited access to the complete life cycle. Simple hypotonic treatment with deionized water was sufficient for karyotyping; growing cells in culture was not necessary. The obtained karyotypes allowed the identification of differences in ploidy and chromosome architecture among
    [Show full text]
  • Toxin-Like Neuropeptides in the Sea Anemone Nematostella Unravel Recruitment from the Nervous System to Venom
    Toxin-like neuropeptides in the sea anemone Nematostella unravel recruitment from the nervous system to venom Maria Y. Sachkovaa,b,1, Morani Landaua,2, Joachim M. Surma,2, Jason Macranderc,d, Shir A. Singera, Adam M. Reitzelc, and Yehu Morana,1 aDepartment of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel; bSars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway; cDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223; and dBiology Department, Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL 33801 Edited by Baldomero M. Olivera, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, and approved September 14, 2020 (received for review May 31, 2020) The sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (Anthozoa, Cnidaria) is a to a target receptor in the nervous system of the prey or predator powerful model for characterizing the evolution of genes func- interfering with transmission of electric impulses. For example, tioning in venom and nervous systems. Although venom has Nv1 toxin from Nematostella inhibits inactivation of arthropod evolved independently numerous times in animals, the evolution- sodium channels (12), while ShK toxin from Stichodactyla heli- ary origin of many toxins remains unknown. In this work, we pin- anthus is a potassium channel blocker (13). Nematostella’snem- point an ancestral gene giving rise to a new toxin and functionally atocytes produce multiple toxins with a 6-cysteine pattern of the characterize both genes in the same species. Thus, we report a ShK toxin (7, 9). The ShKT superfamily is ubiquitous across sea case of protein recruitment from the cnidarian nervous to venom anemones (14); however, its evolutionary origin remains unknown.
    [Show full text]
  • Dynamics of Venom Composition Across a Complex Life Cycle Yaara Y
    bioRxiv preprint first posted online Jul. 5, 2017; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/159889. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Dynamics of venom composition across a complex life cycle Yaara Y. Columbus-Shenkar#, Maria Y. Sachkova#, Arie Fridrich, Vengamanaidu Modepalli, Kartik Sunagar, Yehu Moran* Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel #These authors contributed equally to this work *Corresponding author: [email protected] Keywords: venom evolution; Cnidaria; life cycle bioRxiv preprint first posted online Jul. 5, 2017; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/159889. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Abstract Little is known about venom in young developmental stages of animals. The appearance of stinging cells in very early life stages of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis suggests that toxins and venom are synthesized already in eggs, embryos and larvae of this species. Here we harness transcriptomic and biochemical tools as well as transgenesis to study venom production dynamics in Nematostella. We find that the venom composition and arsenal of toxin-producing cells change dramatically between developmental stages of this species. These findings might be explained by the vastly different ecology of the larva and adult polyp as sea anemones develop from a miniature non-feeding mobile planula to a much larger sessile polyp that predates on other animals.
    [Show full text]
  • Feeding-Dependent Tentacle Development in the Sea Anemone Nematostella Vectensis ✉ Aissam Ikmi 1,2 , Petrus J
    ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18133-0 OPEN Feeding-dependent tentacle development in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis ✉ Aissam Ikmi 1,2 , Petrus J. Steenbergen1, Marie Anzo 1, Mason R. McMullen2,3, Anniek Stokkermans1, Lacey R. Ellington2 & Matthew C. Gibson2,4 In cnidarians, axial patterning is not restricted to embryogenesis but continues throughout a prolonged life history filled with unpredictable environmental changes. How this develop- 1234567890():,; mental capacity copes with fluctuations of food availability and whether it recapitulates embryonic mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we utilize the tentacles of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis as an experimental paradigm for developmental patterning across distinct life history stages. By analyzing over 1000 growing polyps, we find that tentacle progression is stereotyped and occurs in a feeding-dependent manner. Using a combination of genetic, cellular and molecular approaches, we demonstrate that the crosstalk between Target of Rapamycin (TOR) and Fibroblast growth factor receptor b (Fgfrb) signaling in ring muscles defines tentacle primordia in fed polyps. Interestingly, Fgfrb-dependent polarized growth is observed in polyp but not embryonic tentacle primordia. These findings show an unexpected plasticity of tentacle development, and link post-embryonic body patterning with food availability. 1 Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany. 2 Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110,
    [Show full text]
  • Basal Metazoans - Dirk Erpenbeck, Simion Paul, Michael Manuel, Paulyn Cartwright, Oliver Voigt and Gert Worheide
    EVOLUTION OF PHYLOGENETIC TREE OF LIFE - Basal Metazoans - Dirk Erpenbeck, Simion Paul, Michael Manuel, Paulyn Cartwright, Oliver Voigt and Gert Worheide BASAL METAZOANS Dirk Erpenbeck Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany Simion Paul and Michaël Manuel Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, France. Paulyn Cartwright University of Kansas USA. Oliver Voigt and Gert Wörheide Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany Keywords: Metazoa, Porifera, sponges, Placozoa, Cnidaria, anthozoans, jellyfishes, Ctenophora, comb jellies Contents 1. Introduction on ―Basal Metazoans‖ 2. Phylogenetic relationships among non-bilaterian Metazoa 3. Porifera (Sponges) 4. Placozoa 5. Ctenophora (Comb-jellies) 6. Cnidaria 7. Cultural impact and relevance to human welfare Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketch Summary Basal metazoans comprise the four non-bilaterian animal phyla Porifera (sponges), Cnidaria (anthozoans and jellyfishes), Placozoa (Trichoplax) and Ctenophora (comb jellies). The phylogenetic position of these taxa in the animal tree is pivotal for our understanding of the last common metazoan ancestor and the character evolution all Metazoa,UNESCO-EOLSS but is much debated. Morphological, evolutionary, internal and external phylogenetic aspects of the four phyla are highlighted and discussed. SAMPLE CHAPTERS 1. Introduction on “Basal Metazoans” In many textbooks the term ―lower metazoans‖ still refers to an undefined assemblage of invertebrate phyla, whose phylogenetic relationships were rather undefined. This assemblage may contain both bilaterian and non-bilaterian taxa. Currently, ―Basal Metazoa‖ refers to non-bilaterian animals only, four phyla that lack obvious bilateral symmetry, Porifera, Placozoa, Cnidaria and Ctenophora. ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) EVOLUTION OF PHYLOGENETIC TREE OF LIFE - Basal Metazoans - Dirk Erpenbeck, Simion Paul, Michael Manuel, Paulyn Cartwright, Oliver Voigt and Gert Worheide These four phyla have classically been known as ―diploblastic‖ Metazoa.
    [Show full text]
  • Animal Diversity Part 2
    Textbook resources • pp. 517-522 • pp. 527-8 Animal Diversity • p. 530 part 2 • pp. 531-2 Clicker question In protostomes A. The blastopore becomes the mouth. B. The blastopore becomes the anus. C. Development involves indeterminate cleavage. D. B and C Fig. 25.2 Phylogeny to know (1). Symmetry Critical innovations to insert: Oral bilateral symmetry ecdysis mouth develops after anus multicellularity Aboral tissues 1 Animal diversity, part 2 Parazoa Diversity 2 I. Parazoa • Porifera: Sponges II. Cnidaria & Ctenophora • Tissues • Symmetry I. Outline the • Germ Layers III. Lophotrochozoa unique • Embryonic characteristics Development of sponges IV. Ecdysozoa • Body Cavities • Segmentation Parazoa Parazoa • Porifera: Sponges • Porifera: Sponges – Multicellular without – Hermaphrodites tissues – Sexual and asexual reproduction – Choanocytes (collar cells) use flagella to move water and nutrients into pores – Intracellular digestion Fig. 25.11 Animal diversity, part 2 Clicker Question Diversity 2 I. Parazoa In diploblastic animals, the inner lining of the digestive cavity or tract is derived from II. Cnidaria & Ctenophora A. Endoderm. II. Outline the B. Ectoderm. unique III. Lophotrochozoa C. Mesoderm. characteristics D. Coelom. of cnidarians and IV. Ecdysozoa ctenophores 2 Coral Box jelly Cnidaria and Ctenophora • Cnidarians – Coral; sea anemone; jellyfish; hydra; box jellies • Ctenophores – Comb jellies Sea anemone Jellyfish Hydra Comb jelly Cnidaria and Ctenophora Fig. 25.12 Coral Box jelly Cnidaria and Ctenophora • Tissues Fig. 25.12 –
    [Show full text]
  • Cellular and Molecular Processes Leading to Embryo Formation In
    Cellular and molecular processes leading to embryo formation in sponges: evidences for high conservation of processes throughout animal evolution Alexander Ereskovsky, Emmanuelle Renard, Carole Borchiellini To cite this version: Alexander Ereskovsky, Emmanuelle Renard, Carole Borchiellini. Cellular and molecular processes leading to embryo formation in sponges: evidences for high conservation of processes through- out animal evolution. Development Genes and Evolution, Springer Verlag, 2013, 223, pp.5 - 22. 10.1007/s00427-012-0399-3. hal-01456624 HAL Id: hal-01456624 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01456624 Submitted on 5 Feb 2017 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Author's personal copy Dev Genes Evol (2013) 223:5–22 DOI 10.1007/s00427-012-0399-3 REVIEW Cellular and molecular processes leading to embryo formation in sponges: evidences for high conservation of processes throughout animal evolution Alexander V. Ereskovsky & Emmanuelle Renard & Carole Borchiellini Received: 20 December 2011 /Accepted: 26 March 2012 /Published online: 29 April 2012 # Springer-Verlag 2012 Abstract The emergence of multicellularity is regarded as metamorphosis. Thus, sponges can provide information en- one of the major evolutionary events of life. This transition abling us to better understand early animal evolution at the unicellularity/pluricellularity was acquired independently molecular level but also at the cell/cell layer level.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity of Animals 355 15 | DIVERSITY of ANIMALS
    Concepts of Biology Chapter 15 | Diversity of Animals 355 15 | DIVERSITY OF ANIMALS Figure 15.1 The leaf chameleon (Brookesia micra) was discovered in northern Madagascar in 2012. At just over one inch long, it is the smallest known chameleon. (credit: modification of work by Frank Glaw, et al., PLOS) Chapter Outline 15.1: Features of the Animal Kingdom 15.2: Sponges and Cnidarians 15.3: Flatworms, Nematodes, and Arthropods 15.4: Mollusks and Annelids 15.5: Echinoderms and Chordates 15.6: Vertebrates Introduction While we can easily identify dogs, lizards, fish, spiders, and worms as animals, other animals, such as corals and sponges, might be easily mistaken as plants or some other form of life. Yet scientists have recognized a set of common characteristics shared by all animals, including sponges, jellyfish, sea urchins, and humans. The kingdom Animalia is a group of multicellular Eukarya. Animal evolution began in the ocean over 600 million years ago, with tiny creatures that probably do not resemble any living organism today. Since then, animals have evolved into a highly diverse kingdom. Although over one million currently living species of animals have been identified, scientists are [1] continually discovering more species. The number of described living animal species is estimated to be about 1.4 million, and there may be as many as 6.8 million. Understanding and classifying the variety of living species helps us to better understand how to conserve and benefit from this diversity. The animal classification system characterizes animals based on their anatomy, features of embryological development, and genetic makeup.
    [Show full text]
  • The Geological Succession of Primary Producers in the Oceans
    CHAPTER 8 The Geological Succession of Primary Producers in the Oceans ANDREW H. KNOLL, ROGER E. SUMMONS, JACOB R. WALDBAUER, AND JOHN E. ZUMBERGE I. Records of Primary Producers in Ancient Oceans A. Microfossils B. Molecular Biomarkers II. The Rise of Modern Phytoplankton A. Fossils and Phylogeny B. Biomarkers and the Rise of Modern Phytoplankton C. Summary of the Rise of Modern Phytoplankton III. Paleozoic Primary Production A. Microfossils B. Paleozoic Molecular Biomarkers C. Paleozoic Summary IV. Proterozoic Primary Production A. Prokaryotic Fossils B. Eukaryotic Fossils C. Proterozoic Molecular Biomarkers D. Summary of the Proterozoic Record V. Archean Oceans VI. Conclusions A. Directions for Continuing Research References In the modern oceans, diatoms, dinoflagel- geobiological prominence only in the Mesozoic lates, and coccolithophorids play prominent Era also requires that other primary producers roles in primary production (Falkowski et al. fueled marine ecosystems for most of Earth 2004). The biological observation that these history. The question, then, is What did pri- groups acquired photosynthesis via endo- mary production in the oceans look like before symbiosis requires that they were preceded in the rise of modern phytoplankton groups? time by other photoautotrophs. The geologi- In this chapter, we explore two records cal observation that the three groups rose to of past primary producers: morphological 133 CCh08-P370518.inddh08-P370518.indd 113333 55/2/2007/2/2007 11:16:46:16:46 PPMM 134 8. THE GEOLOGICAL SUCCESSION OF PRIMARY PRODUCERS IN THE OCEANS fossils and molecular biomarkers. Because without well developed frustules might these two windows on ancient biology are well leave no morphologic record at all in framed by such different patterns of pres- sediments.
    [Show full text]
  • Common Standards Monitoring Guidance for Lagoons Contents
    Common Standards Monitoring Guidance for Lagoons Version August 2004 Updated from (February 2004) ISSN 1743-8160 (online) UK guidance for Lagoons Issue date: August 2004 Common Standards Monitoring guidance for Lagoons Contents 1 Definition of Lagoons ...................................................................................................................... 2 2 Background, targets and monitoring techniques for individual attributes ....................................... 3 2.1 Extent........................................................................................................................................ 3 2.2 Isolating barrier – presence, nature and integrity..................................................................... 6 2.3 Salinity regime.......................................................................................................................... 7 2.4 Biotope composition............................................................................................................... 10 2.5 Extent of sub-feature or representative/notable biotopes........................................................ 12 2.6 Extent of water........................................................................................................................ 13 2.7 Distribution of biotopes .......................................................................................................... 15 2.8 Species composition of representative or notable biotopes ...................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Starlet Sea Anemone
    The Starlet Sea Anemone I. The starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis)—an “emerging model system” A. The growing literature on Nematostella. A query of the Scientific Citation Index (conducted 06/26/07) identified 74 articles and reviews that contain “nematostella” in the title, keywords, or abstract. The number of such publications is increasing dramatically (Fig. 1a), as are the citations of these papers (Fig. 1b). Much of the Nematostella literature is not yet indexed; we identified another 66 published books, reviews, or articles published prior to the 1990’s that mention Nematostella. An annotated list is housed at http://nematostella.org/Resources_References. A B Figure 1. Nematostella publications (A) and citations (B) by year. B. Nematostella’s Merits as a Model System Nematostella is an estuarine sea anemone that is native to the Atlantic coast of North America. In the early 1990’s, its potential value as a model system for developmental biology was first explicitly recognized by Hand and Uhlinger [1]. Over the last 10 years, its utility has extended far beyond developmental biology due to its informative phylogenetic position, and its amenability to field studies, organismal studies, developmental studies, cellular studies, molecular and biochemical studies, genetic studies, and genomic studies [2]. 1. Phylogenetic relationships. Nematostella is a member of the Cnidaria, one of the oldest metazoan phyla. The Cnidaria is a closely related outgroup to the Bilateria, the evolutionary lineage that comprises >99% of all extant animals (Fig. 3). Comparisons between Nematostella and bilaterians have provided insights into the evolution of key animal innovations, including germ cell specification, bilateral symmetry, mesoderm, and the nervous system [3-7].
    [Show full text]
  • Systema Naturae. the Classification of Living Organisms
    Systema Naturae. The classification of living organisms. c Alexey B. Shipunov v. 5.601 (June 26, 2007) Preface Most of researches agree that kingdom-level classification of living things needs the special rules and principles. Two approaches are possible: (a) tree- based, Hennigian approach will look for main dichotomies inside so-called “Tree of Life”; and (b) space-based, Linnaean approach will look for the key differences inside “Natural System” multidimensional “cloud”. Despite of clear advantages of tree-like approach (easy to develop rules and algorithms; trees are self-explaining), in many cases the space-based approach is still prefer- able, because it let us to summarize any kinds of taxonomically related da- ta and to compare different classifications quite easily. This approach also lead us to four-kingdom classification, but with different groups: Monera, Protista, Vegetabilia and Animalia, which represent different steps of in- creased complexity of living things, from simple prokaryotic cell to compound Nature Precedings : doi:10.1038/npre.2007.241.2 Posted 16 Aug 2007 eukaryotic cell and further to tissue/organ cell systems. The classification Only recent taxa. Viruses are not included. Abbreviations: incertae sedis (i.s.); pro parte (p.p.); sensu lato (s.l.); sedis mutabilis (sed.m.); sedis possi- bilis (sed.poss.); sensu stricto (s.str.); status mutabilis (stat.m.); quotes for “environmental” groups; asterisk for paraphyletic* taxa. 1 Regnum Monera Superphylum Archebacteria Phylum 1. Archebacteria Classis 1(1). Euryarcheota 1 2(2). Nanoarchaeota 3(3). Crenarchaeota 2 Superphylum Bacteria 3 Phylum 2. Firmicutes 4 Classis 1(4). Thermotogae sed.m. 2(5).
    [Show full text]