Summary Integrative and conjugative elements ( ICEs ) contribute to the rapid evolution of bacterial pathogens via horizontal gene transfer of virulence determinants. ICEs have common mechanisms for transmission, yet the cues triggering this process under natural environmental or physiological conditions are largely unknown. In this study, mobilization of the putative ICE horizontally acquired island 2 ( HAI 2), present in the...

A combination of stomach contents, nitrogen stable‐isotope and tissue C:N values are presented to demonstrate feeding activity of Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus on the Gulf of Mexico (GOMEX) spawning grounds. Diets include teleosts, cephalopods, crustaceans and a pelagic tunicate ( Pyrosoma atlanticum ). Results reveal the need to classify the GOMEX as a T. thynnus feeding ground.

Trophic models based on nitrogen stable isotope ratios ( δ 15 N) have been shown to predict changes in mercury (Hg) concentrations in fish; however, they are usually applied at the ecosystem scale and are rarely directed at known trophic pathways. We discuss a novel approach in which we combined gut contents analysis and stable isotope analyses ( δ 15 N and δ 13 C) into a Bayesian isotopic mixing model to provide a quantitativ...