In previous work, we evaluated the effects of ultraviolet (UV 5 280-400 nm) radiation on the early life stages of a planktonic Calanoid copepod (Calanus finmarchicus Gunnerus) and of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Both are key species in North Atlantic food webs. To further describe the potential impacts of UV exposure on the early life stages of these two species, we measured the wavelength-specific DNA damage (cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer [CPD] formation per megabase of DNA) induced under controlled experimental exposure to UV radiation. UV-induced DNA damage in C. finmarchicus and cod eggs was highest in the UV-B exposure treatments. Under the same spectral exposures, CPD loads in C. finmarchicus eggs were higher than those in cod eggs, and for both C. finmarchicus and cod embryos, CPD loads were generally lower in eggs than in larvae. Biological weighting functions (BWF) and exposure response curves that explain most of the variability in CPD production were derived from these data. Comparison of the BWF revealed significant differences in sensitivity to UV-B: C. finmarchicus is more sensitive than cod, and larvae are more sensitive than eggs. This is consistent with the raw CPD values. Shapes of the BWF were similar to each other and to a quantitative action spectrum for damage to T7 bacteriophage DNA that is unshielded by cellular material. The strong similarities in the shapes of the weighting functions are not consistent with photoprotection by UV-absorbing compounds, which would generate features in BWF corresponding to absorption bands. The BWF reported in this study were applied to assess the mortality that would result from accumulation of a given CPD load: for both C. finmarchicus and cod eggs, an increased load of 10 CPD Mb 21 of DNA due to UV exposure would result in approximately 10% mortality.

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McQuinn, I. H., Dion, M., and St. Pierre, J.-F. 2013. The acoustic multifrequency classification of two sympatric euphausiid species (Meganyctiphanes norvegica and Thysanoessa raschii), with empirical and SDWBA model validation. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 636–649. The ecosystem approach to fishery management requires monitoring capabilities at all trophic levels, including pelagic organisms. However, the usefulness of active acoustics for ecosystem monitoring has been limited by ambiguities in the identification of scattering layers. Increasingly, multifrequency acoustic methods are being developed for the classification of scattering layers into species or species groups. We describe a method for distinguishing between sympatric northern and Arctic krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica and Thysanoessa raschii) using sv amplitude ratios from 38, 120, and 200 kHz data which were pre-processed through a self-noise removal algorithm. Acoustic frequency responses of both euphausiid species were predicted from species-specific parameterizations of a SDWBA physical model using specific body forms (shape, volume, and length) for Arctic and northern krill. Classification and model validation were achieved using macrozooplankton samples collected from multiple-sampler (BIONESS) and ringnet (JackNet) hauls, both equipped with a strobe light to reduce avoidance by euphausiids. SDWBA frequency responses were calculated for a range of orientations (± 45°) and compared with observed frequency responses, solving for orientation by least squares. A tilt angle distribution of N[9°,4°] and N[12°,6°] for T. raschii and M. norvegica, respectively resulted in best fits. The models also provided species-specific TS–length relationships.

In previous work, we evaluated the effects of ultraviolet (UV = 280-400 nm) radiation on the early life stages of a planktonic Calanoid copepod (Calanus finmarchicus Gunnerus) and of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Both are key species in North Atlantic food webs. To further describe the potential impacts of UV exposure on the early life stages of these two species, we measured the wavelength-specific DNA damage (cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer [CPD] formation per megabase of DNA) induced under controlled experimental exposure to UV radiation. UV-induced DNA damage in C. finmarchicus and cod eggs was highest in the UV-B exposure treatments. Under the same spectral exposures, CPD loads in C. finmarchicus eggs were higher than those in cod eggs, and for both C. finmarchicus and cod embryos, CPD loads were generally lower in eggs than in larvae. Biological weighting functions (BWF) and exposure response curves that explain most of the variability in CPD production were derived from these data. Comparison of the BWF revealed significant differences in sensitivity to UV-B: C. finmarchicus is more sensitive than cod, and larvae are more sensitive than eggs. This is consistent with the raw CPD values. Shapes of the BWF were similar to each other and to a quantitative action spectrum for damage to T7 bacteriophage DNA that is unshielded by cellular material. The strong similarities in the shapes of the weighting functions are not consistent with photoprotection by UV-absorbing compounds, which would generate features in BWF corresponding to absorption bands. The BWF reported in this study were applied to assess the mortality that would result from accumulation of a given CPD load: for both C. finmarchicus and cod eggs, an increased load of 10 CPD Mb(-1) of DNA due to UV exposure would result in approximately 10% mortality.