The evolutionary path of the epithelial sodium channel δ-subunit in Cetartiodactyla points to a role in sodium sensing.

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is essential for osmoregulation in tetrapod vertebrates. There are four ENaC-subunits (α, β, γ, δ) which form αβγ- or δβγ-ENaCs. While αβγ-ENaC is a 'maintenance protein' controlling sodium homeostasis, δβγ-ENaC might represent a 'stress protein' monitoring high sodium concentrations.

The role of land use in terrestrial support of boreal lake food webs.

There is growing awareness of the importance of cross-boundary energy and nutrient transfers between adjacent ecosystems. Lake ecosystems receive inputs of terrestrial organic matter that microbes can make available to higher level consumers. However, how environmental drivers influence this terrestrial support of benthic and pelagic consumers at multiple trophic levels remains underexplored.

The evolutionary path of the epithelial sodium channel δ-subunit in Cetartiodactyla points to a role in sodium sensing.

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) plays a key role in osmoregulation in tetrapod vertebrates and is a candidate receptor for salt taste sensation. There are four ENaC subunits (α, β, γ, δ) which form αβγ- or δβγ ENaCs. While αβγ-ENaC is a 'maintenance protein' controlling sodium and potassium homeostasis, δβγ-ENaC might represent a 'stress protein' monitoring high sodium concentrations.

Quantifying spatio-temporal consistency in the trophic ecology of two sympatric flatfishes.

Sympatric flatfish predators may partition their resources in coastal environments to reduce competition and maximise foraging efficiency. However, the degree of spatial and temporal consistency in their trophic ecology is not well understood because dietary studies tend to overlook the heterogeneity of consumed prey. Increasing the spatial and temporal scale of dietary analyses can thus help to resolve predator resource use.

Stable isotopes demonstrate seasonally stable benthic-pelagic coupling as newly fixed nutrients are rapidly transferred through food chains in an estuarine fish community.

Seasonal differences in the availability of resources potentially result in the food web architecture also varying through time. Stable isotope analyses are a logistically simple but powerful tool for inferring trophic interactions and food web structure, but relatively few studies quantify seasonal variations in the food web structure or nutrient flux across multiple trophic levels. We determined the temporal dynamics in stable isotope compositions (carbon, nitrogen and sulphur) of a fish community from a highly seasonal, temperate estuary sampled monthly over a full annual cycle.

Two Functional Epithelial Sodium Channel Isoforms Are Present in Rodents despite Pronounced Evolutionary Pseudogenization and Exon Fusion.

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) plays a key role in salt and water homeostasis in tetrapod vertebrates. There are four ENaC subunits (α, β, γ, δ), forming heterotrimeric αβγ- or δβγ-ENaCs. Although the physiology of αβγ-ENaC is well understood, for decades the field has stalled with respect to δβγ-ENaC due to the lack of mammalian model organisms.

Novel tri-isotope ellipsoid approach reveals dietary variation in sympatric predators.

Sympatric species may partition resources to reduce competition and facilitate co-existence. While spatial variation and specialization in feeding strategies may be prevalent among large marine predators, studies have focussed on sharks, birds, and marine mammals. We consider for the first time the isotopic niche partitioning of co-occurring, teleost reef predators spanning multiple families.

Taylor's power law captures the effects of environmental variability on community structure: An example from fishes in the North Sea.

Taylor's power law (TPL) describes the relationship between the mean and variance in abundance of populations, with the power law exponent considered a measure of aggregation. However, the usefulness of TPL exponents as an ecological metric has been questioned, largely due to its apparent ubiquity in various complex systems. The aim of this study was to test whether TPL exponents vary systematically with potential drivers of animal aggregation in time and space and therefore capture useful ecological information of the system of interest.