Trudnowska Emilia, Bukhari Ali, Gluchowska Marta, Schultz Mads, Smolina Irina, Stoń-Egiert Joanna, Świeżewski Jędrzej, Balazy Kaja
Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences Sopot Poland.
Appsilon Data for Good Warszawa Poland.
Ecol Evol. 2025 May 22;15(5):e71366. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71366. eCollection 2025 May.
The marine ecosystems of the Svalbard archipelago are now propelled towards a new climatic state owing to the ongoing "Atlantification" process. Fjords represent valuable natural laboratories hosting both local and advected populations of zooplankton. Our goal was to study life-history traits of two species ( and ) across slightly different environments in order to better understand their functioning within Arctic ecosystems undergoing substantial transformations. We hypothesized that life-history traits of copepods (CV life stage) such as size, pigmentation, lipid content, diet, parasite presence, and stage structure would differ across four hydrographically distinct fjords (Hornsund, Isfjorden, Kongsfjorden, van Mijenfjorden) of Spitsbergen. Morphological size-based species identification via stereomicroscopy was supported by molecular methods. Manual image-based measurements of body size and lipid sack area were augmented by machine learning image analyses. Visual color intensity estimations were assisted by HPLC quantification of astaxanthin concentrations. Trophic variability was assessed via stable isotope analyses. The observed substantial variability in the life-history traits highlights their high plasticity and suggests that the traditional morphological distinctions between two species are becoming increasingly ambiguous. This underscores the need to incorporate genetic tools in ecological studies. The observed variability likely results from the coexistence of several cohorts of both species, including a mixture of local and advected populations. Moreover, each generation could be characterized by different traits depending on their source location and recruitment timing. These findings imply that under progressing "Atlantification" multiple adaptive responses may be expected, including reduced body size, accelerated development, mixed reproductive strategies, decreased pigmentation, shifts in diet, diversified lipid storage strategies, and increased parasite prevalence. Additionally, we introduce a machine learning-based tool for automatic assessment of key traits, such as body size and lipid content from images.
由于正在进行的“大西洋化”过程，斯瓦尔巴群岛的海洋生态系统正朝着一个新的气候状态发展。峡湾是宝贵的天然实验室，容纳着浮游动物的本地种群和外来种群。我们的目标是研究两个物种（和）在略有不同的环境中的生活史特征，以便更好地了解它们在经历重大转变的北极生态系统中的功能。我们假设，哲水蚤（CV生活阶段）的生活史特征，如大小、色素沉着、脂质含量、饮食、寄生虫存在情况和阶段结构，在斯匹次卑尔根四个水文特征不同的峡湾（霍恩松德、伊士峡湾、孔斯峡湾、范米延峡湾）中会有所不同。通过立体显微镜基于形态大小的物种鉴定得到了分子方法的支持。基于机器学习图像分析增强了基于手动图像的身体大小和脂质囊面积测量。通过高效液相色谱法定量虾青素浓度辅助视觉颜色强度估计。通过稳定同位素分析评估营养变异性。观察到的生活史特征的显著变异性突出了它们的高可塑性，并表明这两个物种之间传统的形态学区别正变得越来越模糊。这强调了在生态研究中纳入遗传工具的必要性。观察到的变异性可能是由于这两个物种的几个群体共存，包括本地种群和外来种群的混合。此外，每一代可能因其来源位置和补充时间的不同而具有不同的特征。这些发现意味着在“大西洋化”进程中，可能会出现多种适应性反应，包括体型减小、发育加速、繁殖策略混合、色素沉着减少、饮食转变、脂质储存策略多样化以及寄生虫患病率增加。此外，我们引入了一种基于机器学习的工具，用于从图像中自动评估关键特征，如身体大小和脂质含量。
