Christian Steinberg

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin | HU Berlin · Department of Biology

Citation: Zhang, X.; Saul, N.; Lieke, T.; Chen, Y.; Wu, M.; Pan, B.; Steinberg, C.E.W. Biochar Extracts Can Modulate the Toxicity of Persistent Free Radicals in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Appl. Biosci. 2023, 2, 71-83. https:// Abstract: As an effective soil amendment, biochars require a comprehensive ecological evaluation before they can...

As a type of effective soil amendment, biochars require comprehensive ecological assessment before their widespread agricultural applications, since the endogenous contaminants, especially environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) in biochars certainly pose an ecological risk to soil invertebrates. In this study, Caenorhabditis elegans ( C....

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) have attracted extensive attention due to their potential toxicity. However, EPFRs-containing particles always coexist with their parent organic contaminants and intermediate degradation products (IM), which may have hindered the toxicity assessment of EPFRs. In this study, the toxicity of EFFRs was...

Inflammation is an essential process as a reaction towards infections or wounding. Exposure to hazardous environmental pollutants can lead to chronic inflammations, where the resolving phase is delayed or blocked. Very contradictory studies have been reported on the pro- and anti-inflammatory effects of humic substances (HSs) leading to significant...

Massive biomass waste with lignocellulose components can be used to produce biochar for environmental remediation. However, the impact of lignocellulose pyrolysis on biochar structure in relation to the sorption mechanism of ionizable antibiotics is still poorly understood. In this paper, diverse techniques including thermogravimetric analysis and...

Due to beneficial side effects of dietary cholesterol and phytosterols, these lipidic compounds need reconsideration as feedstuff for fishes. Studies point out that their controlling function appears to be more complex than previously anticipated. Since cholesterol cannot be biosynthesized de novo, it is an essential nutrient to crustaceans, mollus...

Methionine and cysteine are essential proteinaceous amino acids (AA) with Met as one of the most versatile and important AAs. Met is central in the one-carbon metabolism and appears to be toxic in elevated doses, whereby the underlying modes of action remain to be identified in aquatic animals. Moreover, it plays a role in the synthesis of creatine...

Vitamin D (VD) comprises five fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for enhancing intestinal absorption of ions. In concert with two peptide hormones, its well-established function comprises calcium metabolism, bone formation, and bone mineralization. Moreover, VD is related to innate and adaptive immunity with production of anti-inflammatory cytoki...

To digest substrates, which are not easily digested by nonruminant animals exogenous enzymes are well accepted as feed additives in aquafeed formulations. Currently, mainly enzymes targeting viscous cereals and microbial phytases are available. Recent studies show that exogenous enzymes, presumably not directly connected to immunity, not only exten...

Vitamin E (VE) exists in eight different forms, four tocopherols, and four tocotrienols. Tocopherols have saturated and tocotrienols unsaturated isoprenoid side chains with three double bonds. The forms of tocopherol as well as tocotrienol differ in number and position of the methyl groups on the aromatic ring. VE is a strong lipophilic antioxidant...

With retinol (vitamin A, VA), this chapter starts the series of contributions about vitamins in the nutrition of aquatic animals. It focuses on functional studies of VA, on biochemical and biomolecular levels, on mechanistic details of hypo- and hypervitaminosis, and on cross talk between vitamins and other nutrients. Retinoid metabolism involves m...

With emphasis on lipid droplets and lipophagy, this chapter focuses on lipid homeostasis and its role in immune response. From mammalian studies, it is well understood that the establishment of mature adipocyte phenotypes is associated with high activity of immune genes, activated unfolded protein response, and responses to oxidative stress. Recent...

Tryptophan is a major constituent of proteins and precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin and the neurohormone melatonin. It serves as substrate for niacin and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) biosynthesis. Adequate dietary Trp supply increases stress resistance and innate immunity in fishes and aquatic invertebrates. Deficient as well a...

This chapter focuses on the utilization of proteinaceous nutrients in various aquatic animals. In invertebrates, carnivores tend to have the highest and herbivores the lowest protease content and activity. In many fishes, the capability of self-selection of the appropriate diet in terms of quality and quantity can be observed. In a brief inventory,...

Vitamin K (VK) comprises a group of fat-soluble vitamins known for their role in assisting proper blood coagulation. The major sources of VK are diets and probably intestinal microbiota; the latter contribution remains controversial. Crustaceans appear to have a higher VK requirement than fishes; VK is required for larval development. VK improves f...

This chapter comprises nonstarch polysaccharides (NSPs), such as cellulose, hemicellulose, β-glucans, pectins, and gums, creating a fluid transition from NSPs to fibers. They are not directly digested, but several of them might serve as prebiotics, if appropriate gut microbes can be established by exogenous probiotics or dietary gut microbiota modu...

Central in one hypothesis for limited carbohydrate in carnivorous fishes, carbohydrate transport from the intestine to peripheral tissues is suboptimal. Therefore, this chapter focuses on the mechanism of carbohydrate in fishes and aquatic invertebrates. Transport of glucose is regulated by transport proteins that are modulated in their expression,...

Omega-3 (ω3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) are well-known essential nutrients for vertebrates. A recent study identifies a high number of ωx desaturase sequences in a variety of invertebrates; consequently, the long-term consensus that solely marine microbes account for the ω3 LC-PUFA production has to be revised by accepting tha...

This chapter focuses on the ability of aquatic invertebrates and fishes to handle increased dietary glucose or starch. Sea urchins appear to have a regulated intake target for dietary protein but not for carbohydrate (→Nutrient-Foraging Hypothesis, Chap. 2). Marine shrimps can be reared at low salinities if additional carbohydrates provide extra en...

This chapter shows the nutritional requirement of selected farmed fishes and a few invertebrates for a variety of amino acids (AAs). The requirement of the essential AAs follows optimum curves with adverse effects if the AAs are in deficiency or excess. The mechanisms behind adverse effects of dietary excess deserve future attention; as one underly...

After a brief description of basic features of fatty acids (FAs), this chapter summarizes recent findings of FAs in terms of sensing, uptake, and transport. Major transporter families are cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), fatty acid transport proteins (FATPs), fatty-acid-binding proteins, ATP-binding cassettes, and intracellular lipid-binding p...

This chapter addresses the question of whether amino acids or oligopeptides are preferably taken up in animal cells. Evidence is growing that peptides are preferred over free amino acids. However, the knowledge about the role of AAs and oligopeptides in the nutrition of aquatic invertebrates remains fragmentary; the situation of fishes appears to b...

Mainly based on economical and ethical considerations, proteins are intended to be replaced by cheaper and ethically less critical macronutrients. This chapter summarizes recent papers dealing with protein and carbohydrate replacement by dietary lipids. It becomes obvious that replacement successes are evaluated one-dimensionally by production trai...

This chapter consolidates mechanisms of glucose intolerance in carnivorous fishes and presents mechanistic studies of impairments. Hyperglycemic fishes suffer from diabetic impairment of bone tissues and scales and from anxiety-like behavior. In addition to classical modes of action of glucose tolerance in herbivorous and omnivorous species, such a...

This chapter focuses on oligosaccharides and their nutritional and controlling function in aquatic animals. Oligosaccharides serve as energy source and support growth best with decreasing molecular weight. Based on metabolomics, evidence is growing that di- and trisaccharides beneficially affect immunity. Immunity strengthening applies also to fruc...

This chapter continues the inventory of carbohydrates in nutrition of aquatic animals and puts emphasis on homeostatic mechanisms of glucose in serum and tissues. A balanced blood glucose level is central in normal physiological activities in all animals. Central processes of glucose homeostasis, such as glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and glycophagy,...

This chapter comprises nutritional and regulatory functions of dietary starches of various sources. The limits of dietary starch contents in aquafeeds for carnivores and omnivores are well established. High dietary starch supply can induce hyperglycemia, hepatomegaly, elevated fat deposition, enteritis, and retarded growth. Transcriptomics in selec...

Referring to field and domestication studies and in addition to the discourse about individual specialization (→AAN I “Trophic Diversification and Speciation” (Steinberg, Aquatic animal nutrition: a mechanistic perspective from individuals to generations, Springer Nature Switzerland AG, Cham, 2018)), this chapter points out intraspecific variabilit...

This chapter comprises information about protein sparing by dietary carbohydrates. It confirms the well-understood limits of substitution: carnivores tolerate max. ⁓20% and omnivores roughly double this value. Due to their prevailing omnivorous, rather than pure carnivorous, feeding habit, invertebrates tolerate ⁓30% and occasionally even more. The...

As monomers, nucleotides (NT) play a central role in metabolism at the cellular level by providing energy; as polymers, they store and transmit genetic information. They are considered “semi-essential” nutrients, since under stress conditions, de novo synthesis of NTs may become limiting and dietary supplementation necessary. Dietary NTs can improv...

Taurine is an amino acid that differs from the more familiar AAs in possessing a sulfonic rather than a carboxylic group. It is central in membrane stabilization, antioxidation, detoxification, immune response, calcium transport, myocardial contractility, retina development, bile acid metabolism, and endocrine functions. It comprises up to 50% of t...

This chapter compiles recent findings of the regulatory potential of mono- and polysaccharides. The regulation comprises mainly growth, immunity, and subsequent increased resistance against pathogens but also shows modulations of gene expressions. In carnivores, glucose modulates the activity of hepatic glucokinase, stimulates brain-gut peptide exp...

Proteins represent the dominant biomass of aquatic animals; consequently, proteins are significant nutrients and energy sources with digestive efficiencies between 60 and almost 100%. For most aquatic animals, the quantity of prey available is typically the nutritional bottleneck. A deficiency of dietary protein or amino acids has long been known t...

This chapter is an inventory of several basic features of carbohydrate metabolism mainly in fishes. Carbohydrates are the most abundant class of energy-yielding nutrients. High digestibility of monosaccharides but slow growth is often observed in fishes. The extent to which dietary carbohydrates can be used to meet energy requirements varies greatl...

Steroidogenic enzymes, egg quality, hatching and fertilization rates, and early larval survival over successive spawning seasons are positively correlated with increased levels of ω3 LC-PUFAs (EPA, DHA) and ARA. Excess levels of dietary DHA, EPA, and, particularly, ARA can adversely affect the quality of eggs and larvae; it can reduce survival and...

Evidence is growing that even “simple” amino acids have important controlling functions. Gly is critical in the osmoregulation of fishes and shellfishes and improves growth in many farmed animals. Whether immunity can also be strengthened deserves future studies. There is rare indication that also Ala can improve growth of aquatic animals. Recently...

This chapter focuses on mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids as essential nutrients with emphasis on linoleic (LIN), α-linolenic (ALA), arachidonic (ARA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA). The common classification of LC-PUFA requirements of fishes, based on dichotomies of warmwater vs. coldwater and freshwater vs. marine, i...

This introductory chapter to organic macro- and micronutrients in aquatic animal nutrition points out recent highlights in identifying nutrient-triggered pathways. It stresses that, in the entire book, particular emphasis will put on the differentiation between esoteric and innovative research in the Kuhnian sense. Innovative research in aquatic an...

The beneficial effect of vitamin C is almost universally recognized. This appreciation applies also to aquafeed with beneficial effects well documented in many studies on VC demand. VC is a naturally occurring sugar acid with antioxidant properties acting effectively as scavenger against a broad spectrum of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Bes...

Crucial as building blocks and immunostimulants, basic amino acids and prolines are limited nutrients in aquafeeds. Excess of basic AAs leads often to diminished growth and impaired immunity, whereby the underlying mechanism remains obscure. Arg can elicit immune-associated gene expression and improve humoral and cellular immunity. In the cladocera...

Central of the trophic transfer is its efficiency, the ratio between production of one trophic level and that of the previous one. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are preferentially retained by higher trophic levels in disfavor of nonessential FAs and bulk carbon. Traditional beliefs have...

Lipids are vital. This chapter focuses on recent biomolecular progress in dietary lipid with farmed invertebrates and fishes as well as ecological model organisms. Deficient or excess levels of lipids aggravate disease/pathogen susceptibility; modes of action are sketched and discussed in depth in Chap. 24. First indications point out that differen...

Several of the numerous nonprotein amino acids (NPAAs) act as repellents, antinutrients, or antimetabolites for herbivores or omnivores. There are first, yet still inconsistent, indications, however, that some NPAAs are metabolites in the immune response. Many dietary trials with NPAAs suffer from the lack of biomolecular fundaments and remain on t...

The vitamin B complex comprises hydro- as well as lipophilic compounds and, at least, the lipophilic vitamins exhibit adverse effects if supplied in excess. It is obvious that vitamins are required not only for somatic and neural development and for growth, reproduction, and progeny survival but also for health, immune response, and pathogen and pa...

Conventionally, amino acids (AAs) are classified as essential AAs (EAAs) and nonessential AAs (NEAAs), although evidence is accumulating that NEAAs play important roles in regulating gene expression, cell signaling, antioxidative responses, fertility, neurotransmission, and immunity. This comprehensive function will be shown in selected wild and fa...

As sequel to Aquatic Animal Nutrition – A Mechanistic Perspective from Individuals to Generations, the present treatise on organic macro- and micronutrients continues the unique cross fertilization of aquatic ecology/ecophysiology and aquaculture. This treatise considers proteins and their constituents, carbohydrates from mono- to polysaccharides,...

Biochar is a multiphase carbonaceous structure with inherent minerals. The role of minerals in organic sorption is essential for biochar application in environmental remediation. In this work, combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques, the composition of minerals and the sorption behavior of bisphenol...

Aquaculture plays a pivotal role in covering dietary animal protein demands and restocking endangered fish populations. However, high mortality takes place at the earliest life stages: prior and immediately after hatching. Improving growth 1 and health parameters by immunostimulants is widely used in older fish, but rarely studied in larvae. Fulvic...

Long-term structure stability of aerobic granules is critical to maintaining stable wastewater treatment performance. In this study, granulation and long-term stability of sludge-treating synthetic wastewater with a low chemical oxygen demand to nitrogen (COD/N) ratio of 4:1 and COD concentration of 400 mg/L in anoxic-oxic conditions were investiga...

This "Letter to the Editor" points out a mistake in previously published paper in Aquaculture Research.

Aquaculture plays a pivotal role in covering dietary animal protein demands and restocking endangered fish populations. However, high mortality takes place at the earliest life stages: prior and immediately after hatching. Improving growth 1 and health parameters by immunostimulants is widely used in older fish, but rarely studied in larvae. Fulvic...

Aquaculture has become imperative to cover the demands for dietary animal protein. Simultaneously, it has to overcome prejudices from excessive use of antibiotics and environmental impacts. Natural supplements are traditionally applied orally. In this study, we demonstrated another pathway: the gills. Humic substances are immunostimulants and a nat...

The extensive applicability of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in various fields such as environment, agriculture, medicine or biotechnology has mostly been attributed to their better physicochemical properties as compared with conventional bulk materials. However, functions and biological effects of ENPs change across different scenarios which imp...

With the expanding nanotechnology, nanoparticles (NPs) embedded products are used in the agricultural sector to improve soil fertility. Thus, two typical metal oxides NPs and their mixtures were applied in different doses to evaluate the impacts on soil microbes. CuO and ZnO NPs boosted soil microbial communities as reflected by the increased numbe...

Biomass chars are known to be intrinsically redox-reactive toward some organic compounds, but the mechanisms are still unclear. To address this, a char made anoxically at 500°C from dealkaline lignin was reacted either in the fresh state or after 180-day aging in air with p-nitrophenol (NO 2-P), p-hydroxybenzalde-hyde (CHO-P), phenol (H-P), or p-me...

Biochars are one of carbon-rich substances that have attracted enormous attention because of its values in energy storage, carbon sequestration, and environment remediation. Apart from the carbon structure, biochars also contain inherent mineral component and polar functional groups. However, the importance of the inherent minerals to the stability...

Condensed organic matters (COM) with black carbon-like structures are considered as long-term carbon sinks because of their high stability. It is difficult to distinguish COM from general organic matter by conventional chemical analysis, thus the contribution by and interaction mechanisms of organo-mineral complexes in COM stabilization are unclear...

Many classical therapeutants are going to be banned in Europe, and an urgent need for alternatives is emerging. This issue can be exemplified by one major parasitic disease in aquaculture and ornamental fish breeding: velvet disease. This disease, caused by dinoflagellates of the genera Amyloodinium and Piscinoodinium, is an important infection aff...

Biochar, a carbon-rich material, has attracted immense attention owing to its applications in soil remediation. However, the mechanisms by which heterogeneous carbon structures of biochars immobilize organic contaminants are not yet fully understood. In this study, the noncondensed aromatic components in biochars were selectively removed through bl...

Island-like distribution of the aquatic flora and fauna of the bunker Valentin in Bremen-Farge. – Jaccard’s similarity coefficient has been calculated pairwise for accessions of diatoms, macrozoobenthos, and microinvertebrates from artificial rock pools of the bunker Valentin. The values (x 100) varied between 0 and 72. The coefficients calculated...

This chapter is an inventory of basic digestive mechanisms and of how dietary sources determine the forms of the digestive tract of fishes and aquatic invertebrates. Due to high dietary quality and energy provision, carnivores have the shortest digestive tracts, whereas low dietary quality, low energy, but high fibre content, determine long intesti...

Parental effects, which are well documented for aquatic wildlife and farmed species, are a major source of phenotypic plasticity of the succeeding generations and determine their persistence in the ecosystem. Theory predicts that, under low food availability, parents, mainly mothers, may decrease their fecundity and increase their investment per of...

In natural systems, short-term food deprivation (dietary restriction, DR; calorie restriction, CR) occurs frequently and animals have developed strategies to cope with this situation. This process has been in the focus of many ecological and aquacultural studies and will be discussed in this chapter. In general, life history theory assumes trade-of...

The gastrointestinal tract of fishes and aquatic invertebrates provides home to an abundant and highly numerous and diverse community of microbes (bacteria, cyanobacteria, yeasts). This microbiota can be considered as a ‘forgotten organ’ or even a symbiotic ecosystem that significantly expands the ecological niche of the germfree conspecifics. The...

This concluding chapter presents evidence that the dietary basis of fishes and aquatic invertebrates has, due to initial individual specialization, the potential to cause trophic diversification and induce parapatric or even sympatric speciation. Well known examples comprise not only fish and, to a lesser degree, invertebrate species flocks in anci...

As all organisms on Earth, also fishes and aquatic invertebrates are subject to circadian rhythms triggered by external zeitgebers and controlled by gene transcription; all life history traits change in a circadian manner. This rhythmicity applies to digestive enzyme activity, regulated by endogenous systems, and which can be measured even under fa...

The trivial word ‘You are what you eat’ (YAWYE) actually applies also to fish and aquatic invertebrates; however, not literally, but in a more hidden, subtle manner. This introductory chapter will briefly address the content of Volume I of Aquatic Animal Nutrition: Chapter 2 recalls basic textbook knowledge and discusses dietary impacts on morpholo...

This book is a unique cross fertilization of aquatic ecology and aquaculture. It shows how diets structure the digestive tract and its microbiota and, in turn, the microbiota influences life history traits of its host, including behavior. Short-term starvation can have beneficial effects on individuals themselves and succeeding generations which ma...

Humic substances (HSs) can influence the growth and composition of freshwater phytoplankton assemblage. Since HSs contain many phenolic and quinonic moieties and cause growth reductions in eco-physiological field experiments, HSs are considered photosystem II herbicides. To test this specific mode of action in vivo and in vitro, respectively, we us...

Understanding formation of organo-mineral association is crucial for soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization. To remove reactive minerals from un-disturbed natural soil (NS) and two cultivated soils (dry-farming soil, TD, and terrace paddy soil, TP), a 10% HF/1M HCl treatment was applied. The mineral protection of different molecular SOM structures...

The formation of organo-mineral complexes is essential in organic matter (OM) stabilization. However, limited studies have been conducted to systematically examine the mineral influence on the decomposition of plant residuals at a molecular level. In this study, pine needles and chestnut leaves were mixed with kaolinite at the weight ratio of 5:1....

In recent years, biochars have gained increasing interest in mitigating climate changes and revitalizing contaminated or drained soil. Studies determining their impact on the ecosystem, especially on soil invertebrates, however, are still scarce and the neurotoxic potential of biochars has never been evaluated before. Using the model organism Caeno...

Benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA)molecules are a widely used marker method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of pyrogenic black carbons (BC). Based on an overview of the development and chemical reaction mechanismof the BPCA method,we propose that the commonly used BPCAmarkers may not be solely indicative of BC but more generally of co...

Biochars are being increasingly applied in soil for carbon sequestration, fertility improvement, as well as contamination remediation. Phosphoric acid (H3PO4) pretreatment is a method for biochar modification, but the mechanism is not yet fully understood. In this work, biochars and the raw biomass were treated by H3PO4 prior to pyrolysis. Due to a...

Summary: Pairwise JACCARD’s similarity coefficient has been calculated for accessions of diatoms, macro zoobenthos, and micro invertebrates in the small water bodies of Bunker Valentin. It varied between 0.0 and 0.72. Invertebrate-derived coefficients showed the highest similarities between the permanent water bodies themselves and the permanent wa...

Zooplankton are exposed to high levels of UV radiation (UVR) in clear alpine lakes where UVR penetrates deep into the water column, while in turbid glacier-fed lakes they are more protected from UVR. To study the interplay between behavioral and physiological protection responses in zooplankton from those lakes, we sampled six lakes of varying UVR...

Der Artikel enthält folgende Kapitel: Einleitung DHM: Interaktionen mit Licht und als Nährstoffquelle Interaktionen von DHM mit Nährstoffen, Metallen und Biopolymeren Huminstoffe und Interaktionen mit Organismen: Direkte Effekte Huminstoffe und Interaktionen mit Organismen: Indirekte Chemikalien‐Effekte Ökosystemare Bedeutung Schlussfolgerungen Lit...

Microwave irradiation (MW) is an effective technique in heating and pyrolysis. This study compared the properties of peanut shell-biochars produced using MW and muffle furnace (FN). At the same pyrolysis temperature, MW biochars preserved more biomass (as indicated by their higher yields and higher abundance of functional groups) and possessed larg...

Cladocerans are microcrustaceans component of the zooplankton in a wide array of aquatic ecosystems. These organisms, in particular the genus Daphnia, have been widely used model organisms in studies ranging from biomedical sciences to ecology. Here, we present an overview of the contribution of studies with cladocerans to understanding the consequ...

Elevated levels of adsorbable organic bromine compounds (AOBr) have been detected in German lakes, and cyanobacteria like Microcystis, which are known for the synthesis of microcystins, are one of the main producers of natural organobromines. However, very little is known about how environmental realistic concentrations of organobromines impact inv...

Marine algae release a plethora of organic halogenated compounds, many of them with unknown ecological impact if environmentally realistic concentrations are applied. One major compound is dibromoacetic acid (DBAA) which was tested for neurotoxicity in the invertebrate model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). This natural compound was co...

Dibromoacetic acid (DBAA) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) have natural and anthropogenic sources and are ubiquitously distributed in the environment. They are classified as toxic and carcinogenetic and various studies have addressed their effects on vertebrates. Furthermore, there is no information about the whole-organism effects at low concentr...

The species-rich, endemic amphipod fauna of Lake Baikal does not overlap with the common Palearctic fauna; however, the underlying mechanisms for this are poorly understood. Considering that Palearctic lakes have a higher relative input of natural organic compounds with a dominance of humic substances (HSs) than Lake Baikal, we addressed the questi...

In all ecosystems, natural organic matter (NOM) comprises the major reservoir of organic carbon and contains a high proportion of humic substances (HSs). HSs are natural xenobiotics that exert indirect and direct chemical challenges to exposed organisms. Xenobiotics are chemicals that are found in, but are not produced by, an organism. Indirect xen...

Organobromines of natural and artificial origin are omnipresent in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Although it is well established that exposure to high concentrations of organobromines are harmful to vertebrates, few studies have investigated the effect of environmentally realistic concentrations on invertebrates. Here, the nematode Caenorha...

In fresh waters cyanobacterial blooms can produce a variety of toxins, such as microcystin variants (MCs) and anatoxin-a (ANA). ANA is a well-known neurotoxin, whereas MCs are hepatotoxic and, to a lesser degree, also neurotoxic. Neurotoxicity applies especially to invertebrates lacking livers. Current standardized neurotoxicity screening methods u...

According to current paradigms, plant polyphenols control and structure planktonic phototroph communities in freshwater ecosystems. If released from macrophytes, they apparently stabilize the clear macrophyte-dominated state of shallow lakes. In addition, they are applied to combat nuisance blooms of phototrophs (mainly cyanobacteria) in small eutr...

Langzeiteffekte von Umwelteinflüssen dokumentieren sich in den Ablagerungen von Ozeanen, Seen, Mooren, Grundwasser, in terrestrischen Ökosystemen, wie z. B. Böden, aber auch im Eis der Polarregionen. In der Paläolimnologie verwendet man physikalische, chemische und biologische Informationen aus dem Sediment, um die früheren Umweltbedingungen eines...

Cladocerans are important food animals in aquaculture, key grazers in freshwater ecosystems, andmodel animals for ecotoxicological investigations. Their epibiont community, extensively studied in Daphnia, includes filamentous bacteria, fungi, algae, peritrich ciliates, and rotifers; although epibionts are usually benign, heavy infections can be det...

Zooplankton from clear alpine lakes thrive under high levels of solar UV radiation (UVR), but in glacially turbid ones they are more protected from this damaging radiation. Here, we present results from experiments done with Cyclops abyssorum tatricus to assess UV-induced DNA damage and repair processes using the comet assay. Copepods were collecte...

Recently emerged indications imply that particular concentrations and qualities of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) have the potential to reduce species diversity in zooplankton. In this contribution, we tested the impact of a major component of DOC, the dissolved humic substances (HSs), on two life history traits of a clone of Daphnia magna, namely...