Abstract: Moe, B., Hanssen, S. A., Ytrehus, B., Balk, L., Chastel, O., Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Gustavsson, H. & Langset, M. 2020.Thiamine deficiency and seabirds in Norway. A pilot study. NINA Report 1720. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is vital for life-sustaining enzymes in cells. Previous studies have reported episodes of thiamine deficiency in marine ecosystems, and suggested that this have contributed to population declines of seabirds breeding in the Baltic Sea and elsewhere. Many Norwegian seabird populations have shown a strong decline in population size, but thiamine status has never been assessed. The objective of this pilot study was, thus, to document thiamin levels in selected species and their associated food webs, and explore methodological issues relevant for future studies or monitoring. The methodological tests showed that storage freezing temperature did not affect thiamine levels in egg yolk samples, and that thiamine levels in eggs could not be corrected for incubation time. Furthermore, the quantified thiamine levels differed between two laboratories, and we developed a predictive equation to convert thiamine levels in egg yolk samples between the laboratories. This pilot study has, for the first time, investigated thiamine levels in seabird eggs from selected species and populations in Norway mainland and Svalbard, and in their food webs. We revealed variation among species, populations and prey types. The lowest levels were found in eggs from common eiders and in blue mussel which is their prey. Eggs from herring gulls had also relatively low levels. The levels for common eiders and herring gulls were higher than previously reported from the Baltic Sea. Nevertheless, the levels from common eiders, herring gulls and blue mussels should be classified as thiamine deficient according to effect-ranges reported in these previous studies. The highest levels were found in eggs from kittiwakes and Atlantic puffins. The diet samples from kittiwakes and Atlantic puffins had higher thiamine levels compared to blue mussels. This is the first time thiamine levels are reported for kittiwakes and Atlantic puffins. This pilot-study cannot answer whether Norwegian seabird population sizes are affected by thiamine levels, but we cannot rule out that thiamine can be a limiting factor for some Norwegian seabird populations. This report identifies knowledge gaps and provides recommendations for future studies and monitoring. We suggest more sampling of levels to better understand variation among years, areas, species and populations, and also clinical examinations and surveys. Studies investigating potential effects on reproduction and survival is ultimately need to better understand potential effects on population dynamics.

Abstract: We introduce the inductive effects of polar cap motions towards and way from the Sun into magnetospheric electrodynamics and show how this explains observed Universal Time variations in hemispheric geomagnetic indices. The large (and growing) hemispheric asymmetry in the offsets of the geomagnetic (dip or eccentric dipole) poles from Earth’s rotational axis means that the effect is not cancelled out in global indices. By adding this effect to that of the Russell-McPherron effect on solar wind-magnetosphere coupling, that of ionospheric conductivities, and that of the solar wind dynamic pressure and dipole tilt on the near-Earth tail lobe field and cross-tail current sheet, we are able to model the persistent “equinoctial” time-of-day/time-of-year pattern (with additional net Universal time variations) observed in the an, as and am geomagnetic indices since 1959. We discuss the implications for the longitudinal dependence of the effects of extreme space weather events

Abstract: Since 2000, the French Long Term Ecological Research network of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (LTER ZATA “ Zone Atelier Antarctique et Terres Australes”) has endeavoured to monitor the dynamics of biodiversity in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Our LTER encompasses multiple scientific programs and can provide access to long term monitoring of more than 40 marine, freshwater and terrestrial vertebrate species (including 27 bird species), 20 terrestrial and freshwater plant and invertebrate species. For some species, monitoring was initiated well before the 2000s, as earlier as the years 1960-1970. More recently, monitorings have been initiated at the community level for pelagic and coastal marine biota, and were complemented by eco-physiological, eco-epidemiological and stress observing projects focussing on multiple species and communities. The main objective of our LTER is to provide a general dashboard to assess health of southern ecosystems along with the selective pressures and overall resilience due to environmental changes. The French LTER ZATA has strongly benefited from sustained support from the French Polar Institute over decades, clearly linking fundings and resource allocations to our capacity to assess and understand southern ecosystems. In this talk, we will give a first picture of this dashboard based on our existing databases. We will also present future developments and strategies that, for sure, have now to be integrated at the international level.

Abstract: Dans le cadre des changements globaux attendus, il est urgent d’appréhender le devenir des écosystèmes et de la biodiversité qu’ils hébergent. L’étude des conséquences des fluctuations environnementales sur les traits phénotypiques des organismes, ainsi que celle des stratégies adaptatives et de la dynamique des populations qui en découle, sont fondamentales. Grâce au Observatoires du Vivant que je mets en place par le suivi électronique et/ou télémétrique de plusieurs espèces d’oiseaux marins des régions polaires/sub-polaires, mes recherches ont pour principal objectif la compréhension des processus écologiques et évolutifs qui façonnent les populations, et notamment les capacités d’adaptation des organismes face aux contraintes de leur environnement. Je m’intéresse à la plasticité phénotypique et aux mécanismes microévolutifs, deux processus par lesquels les traits phénotypiques au sein d’une population sont capables de s’ajuster aux changements du milieu. La dynamique spatio-temporelle des populations est traitée à différentes échelles, de la colonie aux écosystèmes. A l’interface entre l'écologie évolutive, la génétique et la dynamique des populations, mon projet favorise le développement de modèles mathématiques globaux. Ces derniers permettent de comprendre les liens existants entre les modifications survenant dans l’environnement et les trajectoires spatio-temporelles de ces populations. Les modèles prédictifs obtenus nous informent sur l’évolution de la composante biologique de l’océan Austral. Ils permettront à terme de mettre en place des stratégies de conservation et de gestion durables de la biodiversité et des ressources naturelles.