Natural "Keystone Molecules" Punch over Their Weight in Ecosystems

Naturally occurring "keystone" molecules that have powerful behavioral effects on diverse organisms often play large but unrecognized roles in structuring ecosystems, according to a theory proposed in the June issue of BioScience. The authors of the theory, Ryan P. Ferrer of Seattle Pacific University and Richard K. Zimmer of the University of California at Los Angeles, liken such molecules to keystone species, animals or plants that may be uncommon but exert a controlling influence, through predation or in other ways. Keystone molecules function in chemical communication and defense, and likewise have dominant consequences in nature.

Ferrer and Zimmer give four examples of keystone molecules. DMSP is a simple chemical, synthesized by single-cell marine organisms, that has powerful effects on bacteria, and through its breakdown products, on the foraging of seabirds. Saxitoxin is a potent poison, also produced by marine microbes, that repels some grazing animals but can cause massive die-offs of fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals. Tetrodotoxin is another toxic keystone molecule, but produced in the skin of newts. It prompts newt larvae to hide to avoid being cannibalized and also deters some predators. Garter snakes that feed on newts, however, can accumulate the toxin in their own tissues, which in turn provides them with predator protection. Pyrrolizidine akaloids, which are synthesized by many plants, repel most plant-eaters, but are consumed by some moths, which recycle the alkaloids and convert them into a powerful volatile pheromone that attracts mates.

Because of their multifunctional effects and importance in the sea, in fresh water, and on land, keystone molecules deserve special attention from managers seeking to conserve species, Ferrer and Zimmer argue. The loss of a species that produces or captures a keystone molecule in an area could have far-reaching effects, as could the arrival of a non-native species that disrupts flows of the molecules. Future research, Ferrer and Zimmer suggest, is likely to reveal more keystone molecules and unseen webs of natural control.

The complete list of peer-reviewed articles in the June 2013 issue of BioScience is as follows. These are now published ahead of print.

Molecules of Keystone Significance: Crucial Agents in Ecology and Resource Management
Ryan P. Ferrer and Richard K. Zimmer

Biotic Drivers of Stream Planform: Implications for Understanding the Past and Restoring the Future
Lina E. Polvi and Ellen Wohl

Social Systems in Habitat-Specialist Reef Fishes: Key Concepts in Evolutionary Ecology
Marian Y. L. Wong and Peter M. Buston

New Frontiers for Organismal Biology
Dietmar Kültz, David F. Clayton, Gene E. Robinson, Craig Albertson, Hannah V. Carey, Molly E. Cummings, Ken Dewar, Scott V. Edwards, Hans A. Hofmann, Louis J. Gross, Joel G. Kingsolver, Michael J. Meaney, Barney A. Schlinger, Alexander W. Shingleton, Marla B. Sokolowski, George N. Somero, Daniel C. Stanzione, and Anne E. Todgham

Understanding Spatiotemporal Lags in Ecosystem Services to Improve Incentives
Alexander K. Fremier, Fabrice A. J. DeClerck, Nilsa A. Bosque-Pérez, Natalia Estrada Carmona, Renée Hill, Taylor Joyal, Levi Keesecker, P. Zion Klos, Alejandra Martínez-Salinas, Ryan Niemeyer, Andre Sanfiorenzo, Kristen Welsh, and J. D. Wulfhorst

The Ethics of Data Sharing and Reuse in Biology
Clifford S. Duke and John H. Porter

Efficient Analysis of Dose-Time-Response Assays
Ann Yellowlees, Chris S. LeButt, Karie J. Hirst, Peter C. Fusco, and Kelly J. Fleetwood

Researchers Call for Marine Observation Network

A comprehensive marine biodiversity observation network could be established with modest funding within 5 years, according to an expert assessment published in the May 2013 issue of BioScience. Such a network would fill major gaps in scientists' understanding of the global distribution of marine organisms, which are under unprecedented threat from climate change, pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction. The network would help resolve conflicts over ocean management and identify threats such as invasions by exotic species before they became obvious, according to the authors of the assessment, who were led by J. Emmett Duffy of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Many of the components of a marine biodiversity observation network already exist, although much could be done to incentivize cooperation, the assessment notes. Far more is known about shallow waters than deeper waters. The key need is to relate observations of biodiversity to prevailing environmental conditions. Expanding automation of acoustic and imaging technology would help, as would digitizing historical records.

The European Union and New Zealand have already built regional data systems, but existing data about US waters are not so readily available. The authors of the BioScience article suggest that the United States' many interests in the oceans over a wide area mean it has a special obligation to monitor them and to safeguard the services they supply. A national marine biodiversity observation network could feature sites established along both the East and West US coasts as well as nodes specializing in deep-sea observations and coral reefs.

The complete list of peer-reviewed articles in the May 2013 issue of BioScience is as follows. These are now published ahead of print.

The Overlooked Terrestrial Impacts of Mountaintop Mining
James Wickham, Petra Bohall Wood, Matthew C. Nicholson, William Jenkins, Daniel Druckenbrod, Glenn W. Suter, Michael P. Strager, Christine Mazzarella, Walter Galloway, and John Amos

Envisioning a Marine Biodiversity Observation Network
J. Emmett Duffy, Linda A. Amaral-Zettler, Daphne G. Fautin, Gustav Paulay, Tatiana A. Rynearson, Heidi M. Sosik, and John J. Stachowicz

Intentional Fragmentation As a Management Strategy in Aquatic Systems
Frank J. Rahel

Assembling, Governing, and Debating an Emerging Science: The Rise of Synthetic Biology in France
Morgan Meyer

Instruction Matters for Nature of Science Understanding in College Biology Laboratories
Elisabeth E. Schussler, Nazan U. Bautista, Melanie A. Link-Pérez, Nancy G. Solomon, and Bruce A. Steinly

Opportunities for Improving Aquatic Restoration Science and Monitoring through the Use of Animal Electronic-Tagging Technology
Nicolas W. R. Lapointe, Jason D. Thiem, Susan E. Doka, and Steven J. Cooke

The Last Call for Marine Wilderness?
Nicholas A. J. Graham and Tim R. McClanahan

BioScience Press Releases

Natural "Keystone Molecules" Punch over Their Weight in Ecosystems

Researchers Call for Marine Observation Network