Tobias Schneider, Ph.D.
Aquatic Photobiology
Research done at LASA (Français)
One well-established function of carotenoid pigmentation in zooplankton is the protection against ultraviolet radiation via the quenching of reactive oxygen species. However, it remains puzzling why some copepods (planktonic crustaceans) show their most intense pigmentation during winter, when solar radiation is strongly reduced or absent. A seasonal coupling of pigments with storage lipids could be due to antioxidant carotenoids serving to protect certain fatty acids from peroxidation. Alternatively, copepods might pass lipids and carotenoids on to their eggs to provide early larval stages with energy and photo-protection. Carotenoids must be accumulated from primary producers (phytoplankton), thus, the availability of appropriate diet may limit (or enhance) copepod pigmentation.
During my Ph.D. project, I was comparing seasonal patterns of carotenoid and lipid accumulation in zooplankton from arctic, subarctic and boreal waters, with respect of the animals’ life cycle, food availability, and exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR).
Peer-reviewed publications, last updated 2017
Grosbois G, HL Mariash, T Schneider, and M Rautio. 2017. Under-ice availability of phytoplankton lipids is key to zooplankton winter survival. Scientific Reports 7: 1–37. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-10956-0.
Schneider T, G Grosbois, WF Vincent, and M Rautio. 2017. Saving for the future: Pre-winter uptake of algal lipids supports copepod egg production in spring. Freshwater Biology 62: 1063–1072, doi: 10.1111/fwb.12925.
Schneider T, G Grosbois, WF Vincent, and M Rautio. 2016. Carotenoid accumulation in copepods is related to lipid metabolism and reproduction rather than to UV-protection. Limnology and Oceanography 61: 1201–1213, doi: 10.1002/lno.10283.
Schneider T, A Herzig, KA Koinig, and R Sommaruga. 2012. Copepods in turbid shallow soda lakes accumulate unexpected high levels of carotenoids. PLoS One 7: e43063, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043063.
Academic Works
Schneider Tobias. (2016). Environmental control of zooplankton pigmentation. Doctoral thesis, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.
Schneider T. 2011. Copepods in turbid waters accumulate more carotenoids. Master’s thesis. Universität Innsbruck, Austria. 52 p.
Schneider T, Herzig A, Koinig KA, Sommaruga R (2012) Copepods in Turbid Shallow Soda Lakes Accumulate Unexpected High Levels of Carotenoids. PLoS ONE 7(8): e43063. Open access : http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0043063
Communications
Schneider T*. 2017. Environmental control of zooplankton pigmentation. Oral presentation, University of Innsbruck, Austria.
Schneider T* and M Rautio. 2016. Seasonal changes in carotenoid pigmentation in a freshwater copepod are related to lipid storage and reproduction rather than to photoprotection. Oral presentation, 33rd SIL Congress, Turin, Italy.
Schneider T*, WF Vincent and M Rautio. 2015. Differential functions and drivers of carotenoid pigments in a boreal lake copepod. Oral presentation, 25th Annual Meeting, Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en limnologie et en environnement aquatique (GRIL), Saint-Hippolyte, Qc., Canada.
Schneider T*. 2014. It’s not the UV – or is it? Potential environmental drivers to explain the counter-intuitive seasonal pattern of freshwater copepod pigmentation. Oral presentation, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Qc., Canada.
Schneider T*, WF Vincent and M Rautio. 2014. Seasonal drivers of copepod pigmentation in freshwater ecosystems. Oral presentation, Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Portland, Or., USA.
Schneider T*, WF Vincent and M Rautio. 2014. Seasonal drivers of zooplankton pigmentation in sub-arctic freshwater systems. Poster presentation, Colloque du Centre d’études nordiques (CEN), Quebec City, Qc., Canada.
Schneider T*, WF Vincent and M Rautio. 2014. Seasonality of copepod pigmentation in a boreal lake. Poster presentation, 24th Annual Meeting, Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en limnologie et en environnement aquatique (GRIL), Saint-Hippolyte, Qc., Canada.
Schneider T*, Rautio M. 2012. Are carotenoid pigments in zooplankton related to UV-protection or to optimal food uptake? Poster presentation, International Polar Year 2012 Conference, April 22–27, Montréal, Qc., Canada.
Schneider T*, A Herzig, KA Koinig, and R Sommaruga. 2012. Copepods in turbid shallow soda lakes accumulate high levels of carotenoids. Oral presentation, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Qc., Canada.
Multimedia File
Une petite vidéo expliquant ma recherche publiée dans le cadre de l’année polaire internationale 2012 : “Carotenoid pigments in zooplankton by Tobias Schneider”.