Active Suspension Feeders Research Articles

Reconstructing the feeding ecology of Cambrian sponge reefs: the case for active suspension feeding in Archaeocyatha.

Sponge-grade Archaeocyatha were early Cambrian biomineralizing metazoans that constructed reefs globally. Despite decades of research, many facets of archaeocyath palaeobiology remain unclear, making it difficult to reconstruct the palaeoecology of Cambrian reef ecosystems. Of specific interest is how these organisms fed; previous experimental studies have suggested that archaeocyaths functioned as passive suspension feeders relying on ambient currents to transport nutrient-rich water into their central cavities. Here, we test this hypothesis using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of digital models of select archaeocyath species. Our results demonstrate that, given a range of plausible current velocities, there was very little fluid circulation through the skeleton, suggesting obligate passive suspension feeding was unlikely. Comparing our simulation data with exhalent velocities collected from extant sponges, we infer an active suspension feeding lifestyle for archaeocyaths. The combination of active suspension feeding and biomineralization in Archaeocyatha may have facilitated the creation of modern metazoan reef ecosystems.

Feeding of Aulacomya atra Under Different Organic Matter Sources (Autochthonous and Allochthonous) in a Chilean Patagonia Fjord Ecosystem

Aulacomya atra is an active suspension feeder, spatially dominant in the shallow-water hard-bottom benthic communities of the Chilean Patagonia fjords. In this region, the vertical flux of autochthonous organic matter (OM) reaching the benthos is augmented by allochthonous OM both from a terrestrial origin and from intensive salmon farming. This mixed pool of OM represents a potential source of food for a variety of benthic consumers, but to date little is known about the degree of utilization of these materials by filter feeders organisms. In this context, feeding experiments on A. atra in Puyuhuapi Fjord, Chilean Patagonia, were conducted during summer and winter 2018–2019. These experiments were designed to determine ingestion rates (IR) of A. atra fed with autochthonous (bacterial and microplanktonic community) and allochthonous (salmon food pellet) OM. Additionally, samples of A. atra tissues and suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM) were taken from the study area for stable isotope analysis. Data from laboratory experiments indicated that A. atra can feed on both autochthonous and allochthonous OM, but higher IR were detected in individuals fed with salmon food pellets. Because the IR is sensitive to food particle density rather than specific type of food, diet preferences of A. atra in feeding experiments could not be determined. Stable isotope analyses indicate that A. atra in natural environment preferentially exploits food with an isotopic signal corresponding to autochthonous OM, highlighting the primary role of phytoplankton carbon in their diet. Extensive utilization of terrestrially derived OM is therefore unlikely, although utilization of OM derived from salmon farming is not precluded because of the overlap in isotopic signal between food pellets and marine plankton.

Marine communities of the newly created Kawésqar National Reserve, Chile: From glaciers to the Pacific Ocean.

The newly created Kawésqar National Park (KNP) and National Reserve (KNR) in southern Chile consists of diverse terrestrial and marine habitats, which includes the southern terminus of the Andes, the Southern Patagonia Ice Fields, sub-Antarctic rainforests, glaciers, fjords, lakes, wetlands, valleys, channels, and islands. The marine environment is influenced by wide ranging hydrological factors such as glacier melt, large terrigenous inputs, high precipitation, strong currents, and open ocean water masses. Owing to the remoteness, rugged terrain, and harsh environmental conditions, little is known about this vast region, particularly the marine realm. To this end, we conducted an integrated ecological assessment using SCUBA and remote cameras down to 600 m to examine this unique and largely unexplored ecosystem. Kelp forests (primarily Macrocystis pyrifera) dominate the nearshore ecosystem and provide habitat for myriad benthic organisms. In the fjords, salinity was low and both turbidity and nutrients from terrigenous sources were high, with benthic communities dominated by active suspension feeders (e.g., Bivalvia, Ascidiacea, and Bryozoa). Areas closer to the Pacific Ocean showed more oceanic conditions with higher salinity and lower turbidity, with benthic communities experiencing more open benthic physical space in which predators (e.g., Malacostraca and Asteroidea) and herbivorous browsers (e.g., Echinoidea and Gastropoda) were more conspicuous components of the community compared to the inner fjords. Hagfish (Myxine sp.) was the most abundant and frequently occurring fish taxa observed on deep-sea cameras (80% of deployments), along with several taxa of sharks (e.g., Squaliformes, Etmopteridae, Somniosidae, Scyliorhinidae), which collectively were also observed on 80% of deep-sea camera deployments. The kelp forests, deep fjords, and other nearshore habitats of the KNR represent a unique ecosystem with minimal human impacts at present. The KNR is part of the ancestral territory of the indigenous Kawésqar people and their traditional knowledge, including the importance of the land-sea connection in structuring the marine communities of this region, is strongly supported by our scientific findings.

Proliferating activity in a bryozoan lophophore.

Bryozoans are small benthic colonial animals; their colonies consist of zooids which are composed of a cystid and polypide. According to morphological and molecular data, three classes of bryozoans are recognized: Phylactolaemata, Gymnolaemata and Stenolaemata. Bryozoans are active suspension feeders and their feeding apparatus, the lophophore, is fringed with a single row of ciliated tentacles. In gymnolaemates, the lophophore is bell-shaped and its tentacles may be equal in length (equitentacled lophophores) or some tentacles may be longer than others (obliquely truncated lophophores). In encrusting colonies, polypides with obliquely truncated lophophores usually border specific sites of excurrent water outlets (colony periphery and chimneys) where depleted water has to be removed. It is known that during colony astogeny, colony-wide water currents rearrange: new chimneys are formed and/or location of the chimneys within a given colony changes with time. Such rearrangement requires remodeling of the lophophore shape and lengthening of some tentacles in polypides surrounding water outlets. However, proliferating activity has not been described for bryozoans. Here, we compared the distribution of S-phase and mitotic cells in young and adult polypides in three species of Gymnolaemata. We tested the hypothesis that tentacle growth/elongation is intercalary and cell proliferation takes place somewhere at the lophophore base because such pattern does not interfere with the feeding process. We also present a detailed description of ultrastructure of two parts of the lophophore base: the oral region and ciliated pits, and uncover the possible function of the latter. The presence of stem cells within the ciliated pits and the oral region of polypides provide evidence that both sites participate in tentacle elongation. This confirms the suggested hypothesis about intercalary tentacle growth which provides a potential to alter a lophophore shape in adult polypides according to rearrangement of colony wide water currents during colony astogeny. For the first time deuterosome-like structures were revealed during kinetosome biogenesis in the prospective multiciliated epithelial cells in invertebrates. Tentacle regeneration experiments in Electra pilosa demonstrated that among all epidermal cell types, only non-ciliated cells at the abfrontal tentacle surface are responsible for wound healing. Ciliated cells on the frontal and lateral tentacle surfaces are specialized and unable to proliferate, not even under wound healing. Tentacle regeneration in E. pilosa is very slow and similar to the morphallaxis type. We suggest that damaged tentacles recover their length by a mechanism similar to normal growth, powered by proliferation of cells both within ciliated pits and the oral region.

Geomorphology and Species Interactions Control Facilitation Cascades in a Salt Marsh Ecosystem.

Facilitation cascades are chains of positive interactions that occur as frequently as trophic cascades and are equally important drivers of ecosystem function, where they involve the overlap of primary and secondary, or dependent, habitat-forming foundation species [1]. Although it is well recognized that the size and configuration of secondary foundation species' patches are critical features modulating the ecological effects of facilitation cascades [2], the mechanisms governing their spatial distribution are often challenging to discern given that they operate across multiple spatial and temporal scales [1, 3]. We therefore combined regional surveys of southeastern US salt marsh geomorphology and invertebrate communities with a predator exclusion experiment to elucidate the drivers, both geomorphic and biotic, controlling the establishment, persistence, and ecosystem functioning impacts of a regionally abundant facilitation cascade involving habitat-forming marsh cordgrass and aggregations of ribbed mussels. We discovered a hierarchy of physical and biological factors predictably controlling the strength and self-organization of this facilitation cascade across creekshed, landscape, and patch scales. These results significantly enhance our capacity to spatially predict coastal ecosystem function across scales based on easily identifiable metrics of geomorphology that are mechanistically linked to ecological processes. Replication of this approach across vegetated coastal ecosystems has the potential to support management efforts by elucidating the multi-scale linkages between geomorphology and ecology that, in turn, define spatially explicit patterns in community assembly and ecosystem functioning.

Evaluating the effects of morphology and orientation on feeding in atrypide brachiopods using 3-D printed models

The brachiopod order Atrypida was one of the most diverse and abundant clades of marine organisms across North America during the Silurian and Devonian. Atrypide brachiopods were active sessile suspension feeders that used their lophophores to capture food particles from the water. Within the subfamily Variatrypinae, there are two end-member morphotypes associated with either high or low energy environments. It has further been suggested shape played an important role in enhancing feeding efficiency. The first morphotype is shield-shaped, weakly convex, and associated with low-energy systems. The second morphotype is globose and associated with high-energy systems. Furthermore, both pedicle-attached and liberosessile life orientations have been suggested for atrypides, based on both fossil material and biomechanical experiments. Any change in orientation could radically affect feeding efficiency. Our study uses biomechanical experiments on morphologically accurate 3-D printed atrypide models to evaluate the effects of shape and orientation on feeding current strength in the shield-shaped and globose morphotypes. We used 3-D scanning and printing to construct two morphologically accurate gaping models of the end-member shapes. The models included simulated body tissue, a flexible scale lophophore and valves of accurate thickness. A recirculating flume tank and dye streams were used to visualize ambient flow within the models in multiple pedicle-attached and pedicle-absent orientations to flow. During the trials the shield shape produced better ambient flow than the globose shape in pedicle-attached orientations. Further, pedicle-attached orientations produced better ambient flow than pedicle-absent orientations. Our results suggest that, shield-shaped atrypides benefited from enhanced ambient flow, while globose atrypides would have relied more on active pumping when in a pedicle attached orientation. As well, the results suggest a pedicle was required to orient atrypides for efficient feeding.

Niche overlap between a cold-water coral and an associated sponge for isotopically-enriched particulate food sources.

The cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa is an ecosystem engineer that builds reef structures on the seafloor. The interaction of the reef topography with hydrodynamics is known to enhance the supply of suspended food sources to the reef communities. However, the reef framework is also a substrate for other organisms that may compete for the very same suspended food sources. Here, we used the passive suspension feeder Lophelia pertusa and the active suspension feeding sponge Hymedesmia coriacea as model organisms to study niche overlap using isotopically-enriched algae and bacteria as suspended food sources. The coral and the sponge were fed with a combination of 13C-enriched bacteria/15N-enriched algae or 15N-enriched bacteria/13C-enriched algae, which was subsequently traced into bulk tissue, coral skeleton and dissolved inorganic carbon (i.e. respiration). Both the coral and the sponge assimilated and respired the suspended bacteria and algae, indicating niche overlap between these species. The assimilation rates of C and N into bulk tissue of specimens incubated separately were not significantly different from assimilation rates during incubations with co-occurring corals and sponges. Hence, no evidence for exploitative resource competition was found, but this is likely due to the saturating experimental food concentration that was used. We do not rule out that exploitative competition occurs in nature during periods of low food concentrations. Food assimilation and respiration rates of the sponge were almost an order of magnitude higher than those of the cold-water coral. We hypothesize that the active suspension feeding mode of the sponge explains the observed differences in resource uptake as opposed to the passive suspension feeding mode of the cold-water coral. These feeding mode differences may set constraints on suitable habitats for cold-water corals and sponges in their natural habitats.

Megabenthic assemblages in the continental shelf edge and upper slope of the Menorca Channel, Western Mediterranean Sea

Highly diverse megabenthic assemblages dominated by passive and active suspension feeders have been recently reported in shelf edge environments of the Mediterranean Sea. Due to their frequent association with species of commercial interest, these assemblages have been heavily impacted by fishing. The vulnerability and low resilience of these assemblages, composed mainly by long-living and slow-growing species, have motivated the implementation of management measures such as the restriction of bottom trawling, and the establishment of large protected areas embracing these environments. The Menorca Channel is one of such areas recently included in the European Union Natura 2000 network. Quantitative analysis of video transects recorded at 95–360 m depth by manned submersible and remotely operated vehicles were used to characterize megabenthic assemblages and to assess their geographical and bathymetric distribution. Six different assemblages were identified, mainly segregated by substrate type and depth. Hard substrates hosted coral gardens and sponge grounds, whereas soft sediments were mainly characterized by large extensions of the crinoid Leptometra phalangium and the brachiopod Gryphus vitreus. The good preservation of most of the observed assemblages is probably related to a low bottom trawling pressure, which mainly concentrates deeper on the adjacent continental slope. Because of their biological and ecological value, management and conservation measures need to be established to preserve these benthic assemblages.

VacuSIP, an Improved InEx Method for In Situ Measurement of Particulate and Dissolved Compounds Processed by Active Suspension Feeders.

Benthic suspension feeders play essential roles in the functioning of marine ecosystems. By filtering large volumes of water, removing plankton and detritus, and excreting particulate and dissolved compounds, they serve as important agents for benthic-pelagic coupling. Accurately measuring the compounds removed and excreted by suspension feeders (such as sponges, ascidians, polychaetes, bivalves) is crucial for the study of their physiology, metabolism, and feeding ecology, and is fundamental to determine the ecological relevance of the nutrient fluxes mediated by these organisms. However, the assessment of the rate by which suspension feeders process particulate and dissolved compounds in nature is restricted by the limitations of the currently available methodologies. Our goal was to develop a simple, reliable, and non-intrusive method that would allow clean and controlled water sampling from a specific point, such as the excurrent aperture of benthic suspension feeders, in situ. Our method allows simultaneous sampling of inhaled and exhaled water of the studied organism by using minute tubes installed on a custom-built manipulator device and carefully positioned inside the exhalant orifice of the sampled organism. Piercing a septum on the collecting vessel with a syringe needle attached to the distal end of each tube allows the external pressure to slowly force the sampled water into the vessel through the sampling tube. The slow and controlled sampling rate allows integrating the inherent patchiness in the water while ensuring contamination free sampling. We provide recommendations for the most suitable filtering devices, collection vessel, and storing procedures for the analyses of different particulate and dissolved compounds. The VacuSIP system offers a reliable method for the quantification of undisturbed suspension feeder metabolism in natural conditions that is cheap and easy to learn and apply to assess the physiology and functional role of filter feeders in different ecosystems.

VacuSIP, an Improved InEx Method for <em>In Situ</em> Measurement of Particulate and Dissolved Compounds Processed by Active Suspension Feeders

VacuSIP, an Improved InEx Method for <em>In Situ</em> Measurement of Particulate and Dissolved Compounds Processed by Active Suspension Feeders

Feeding behavior in freshwater bryozoans: function, form, and flow

Bryozoans are impressively active suspension feeders, with diverse feeding behaviors. These have been studied extensively in marine bryozoans, but less so in their freshwater counterparts. Here we identified 16 distinct behaviors in three phylactolaemate species and classified them into behaviors involving separate tentacles, groups of tentacles, lophophore arms, the introvert, or multiple zooids. We examined (1) the repertoire of behaviors in each species, and each behavior's (2) absolute frequency, (3) relative frequency and (4) duration in each of the three species, at two flow velocities (0 and 0.2 cm s−1). Nine feeding behaviors were shared by all three species, but the occurrence of other behaviors in a given species was limited by its morphology. Behaviors involved in particle capture were the most frequent, and were often faster than the reactions involved in particle rejection. By contrast, the absolute frequency of behaviors varied widely among species without clear associations with species form, or function of the behavior. Flow velocity had only minor effects on the feeding behaviors exhibited by a species, or their frequencies or durations. Our results show that phylactolaemates have the same key feeding behaviors of the individual polypides (especially involving separate tentacles) as previously described in gymnolaemate and stenolaemate bryozoans, although their behaviors tend to be carried out more slowly than those of stenolaemates or gymnolaemates. Feeding behaviors involving multiple zooids were nearly absent in the studied phylactolaemates, but are common in gymnolaemates. Freshwater bryozoans appear to be intermediate between stenolaemate and gymnolaemate bryozoans in terms of richness of the repertoire of feeding behaviors.

The role of Mediterranean sponges in benthic–pelagic coupling processes: Aplysina aerophoba and Axinella polypoides case studies

Sponges are important components of marine benthic communities with a worldwide distribution ranging from polar to tropical regions. They play a key role in benthic–pelagic coupling processes through their active suspension feeding, providing a trophic link between the benthos and the overlying water column. Little is known about their broad-scale distribution and feeding ecology. The general tendency is to quantify their trophic impact through small patch estimations. In this work, two of the most abundant sponges in Mediterranean coastal bottoms (Aplysina aerophoba and Axinella polypoides) were studied combining remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey with in situ feeding experiments. Spatial, bathymetrical distribution and population size structure of these species were analysed, together with their trophic ecology, in spring and autumn. We found that A. aerophoba is distributed between 5 and 20m depth, with maximum densities of 1.6 sponges m−2. This species ingested 0.12–0.39mg of carbon (C)gAFDW−1 (ash free dry weight) day−1 in spring and 0.09–0.13mgCgAFDW−1day−1 in autumn. Conversely, A. polypoides was found between 10 and 70m depth, with maximum densities of 7.6 sponges m−2. This species ingested 0.07–0.17mgCgAFDW−1day−1 in spring, and 0.18–0.60mgCgAFDW−1day−1 in autumn. The highest uptake of C concentrated between 5 and 15m depth for A. aerophoba and between 65 and 70m depth for A. polypoides. In the 1.14ha of studied coastal bottom, A. aerophoba ingested 1.87gC during spring and 0.19gC during autumn, whereas A. polypoides 13.60gC and 29.36gC during spring and autumn, respectively. The present approach allowed a spatially explicit quantification of benthic–pelagic coupling processes produced by two of the most common sponges in a Mediterranean coastal area. This methodology, applied to benthic communities, mirrors similar approaches used in terrestrial forestry studies for C flux estimation.

Size, spatial, and bathymetrical distribution of the ascidian Halocynthia papillosa in Mediterranean coastal bottoms: benthic–pelagic coupling implications

Benthic suspension feeders are abundant in Mediterranean coastal environments, though most of them are threatened due to overexploitation, climate change impacts, and unregulated diving or fishing practices. Little is known about most of the coastal communities in terms of large-scale distribution and realistic benthic–pelagic coupling implications, which are keys to understand and manage those threatened ecosystems. The active suspension feeder Halocynthia papillosa (one of the most common ascidian species of the Mediterranean Sea) was selected as a model organism to help to understand the ecological role in benthic–pelagic coupling processes and its importance as a carbon sink (an essential ecosystem service). The spatial and bathymetrical distribution of this organism has been studied using remotely operated vehicle video transects. The species was distributed throughout the study area, with a maximum density of 4 specimens m−2. The highest abundances and the biggest sizes were observed on the range of 20–50 m depth. The role as carbon and nitrogen sink of this suspension feeder has been quantified coupling distribution data with existing in situ studies of feeding and respiration. Along the 1.24 ha of the study area, H. papillosa yearly ingested 519.4 g C and 31.4 g N and retained 20.2 g C. As long as the physiological data are known, this new methodology could be very useful in assessing bentho–pelagic links and the capacity of being C and N sinks of a wide range of species. This new approach may be essential for the future management of benthic communities.

Ecology of Caribbean Sponges: Are Top-Down or Bottom-Up Processes More Important?

Benthic-pelagic coupling and the role of bottom-up versus top-down processes are recognized as having a major impact on the structure of marine communities. While the roles of bottom-up processes are better appreciated they are still viewed as principally affecting the outcome of top-down processes. Sponges on coral reefs are important members of the benthic community and provide a critically important functional linkage between water-column productivity and the benthos. As active suspension feeders sponges utilize the abundant autotrophic and heterotrophic picoplankton in the water column. As a result sponges across the Caribbean basin exhibit a consistent and significant pattern of greater biomass, tube extension rate, and species numbers with increasing depth. Likewise, the abundance of their food supply also increases along a depth gradient. Using experimental manipulations it has recently been reported that predation is the primary determinant of sponge community structure. Here we provide data showing that the size and growth of the sponge Callyspongia vaginalis are significantly affected by food availability. Sponges increased in size and tube extension rate with increasing depth down to 46 m, while simultaneously exposed to the full range of potential spongivores at all depths. Additionally, we point out important flaws in the experimental design used to demonstrate the role of predation and suggest that a resolution of this important question will require well-controlled, multi-factorial experiments to examine the independent and interactive effects of predation and food abundance on the ecology of sponges.

Observations on the Biology and Sclerochronology ofTurritella leucostoma(Valenciennes, 1832; Cerithioidea: Turritellidae) from the Gulf of California

Abstract: Fossil and Recent shells of Turritella leucostoma (Valenciennes, 1832) are common in the Northern Gulf of California and, during winter months, living specimens can be found populating tidal flat environments. At San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico, T. leucostoma preferentially inhabit the sediment near the base of tidal channels and the low tide beach, where a total of 45 live specimens were gathered and documented. Most specimens were found in feeding position with the aperture exposed at the sediment surface and the apex pointed down at a low angle into the sediment. They act as predominantly stationary semi-infaunal active suspension feeders. Actively moving specimens were encountered during day and night low tides. The size distribution of the shells is narrow and no juveniles occur on the San Felipe tidal flat. Analysis of δ18O performed on three shells shows variations of up to 3.4‰ attributable to seasonal changes in water temperature, and indicates longevity of 1.5–2 years and relativel...

Environmental and biological controls on the diversity and ecology of Late Cretaceous through early Paleogene marine ecosystems in the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain

The late Mesozoic through early Cenozoic is an interval of significant biologic turnover and ecologic reorganization within marine assemblages, but the timing and causes of these changes remain poorly understood. Here, we quantify the pattern and timing of shifts in the diversity (richness and evenness) and ecology of local (i.e., sample level) mollusk-dominated assemblages during this critical interval using field-collected and published data sets from the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain. We test whether the biologic and ecologic patterns observed primarily at the global level during this time are also expressed at the local level, and whether the end-Cretaceous (K/Pg) mass extinction and recovery moderated these trends. To explore whether environment had any effect on these patterns, we examine data from shallow subtidal and offshore settings.Assemblages from both settings recovered to pre-extinction diversity levels rapidly, in less than 7 million years. Following initial recovery, diversity remained unchanged in both settings. The trajectory of ecological restructuring was distinct for each setting in the wake of the K/Pg extinction. In offshore assemblages, the abundance and number of predatory carnivorous taxa dramatically increased, and surficial sessile suspension feeders were replaced by more active suspension feeders. In contrast, shallow subtidal assemblages did not experience ecological reorganization following the K/Pg extinction. The distinct ecological patterns displayed in each environment follow onshore-offshore patterns of innovation, whereby evolutionary novelties first appear in onshore settings relative to offshore habitats. Increased predation pressure may explain the significant ecological restructuring of offshore assemblages, whereby the explosive radiation of predators drove changes in their prey. Habitat-specific ecological restructuring, and its occurrence solely during the recovery interval, implies that disturbance and incumbency were also key in mediating these ecological changes.

Food web structure of the epibenthic and infaunal invertebrates on the Catalan slope (NW Mediterranean): Evidence from δ 13C and δ 15N analysis

The food-web structure of the epibenthic and infaunal invertebrates on the continental slope of the Catalan Sea (Balearic basin, NW Mediterranean) was investigated using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes on a total of 34 species, and HPLC pigment analyses for three key species. Samples were collected close to Barcelona (NE Iberian Peninsula), between 650 and 800 m depth and between February 2007 and February 2008. Mean δ 13C values ranged from −21.0‰ (small Calocaris macandreae and Amphipholis squamata) to −14.5‰ ( Sipunculus norvegicus). Values of δ 15N ranged from 4.0‰ ( A. squamata) to 12.1‰ ( Molpadia musculus). The stable isotope ratios of benthic fauna displayed a continuum of values (e.g. δ 15N range of 8‰), confirming a wide spectrum of feeding strategies (from active suspension feeders to predators) and complex food webs. According to the available information on diets of benthic fauna, the lowest values were found for surface deposit feeders (small C. macandrae and the two ophiuroids A. squamata and Amphiura chiajei) and active suspension feeders ( Abra longicallus and Scalpellum scalpellum) feeding on different sizes of particulate organic matter (POM), among which small particles may exhibit lower δ 15N. High annual mean δ 15N values were found among sub-surface deposit feeders, exploiting refractory or frequently recycled organic matter that is enriched in δ 15N. Carnivorous polychaetes ( Nephtys spp., Oenonidae and Polynoidae) and large decapods ( Geryon longipes and Paromola cuvieri) also displayed high δ 15N values. δ 13C ranges were particularly wide among surface deposit feeders (ranging from −21.0‰ to −16.4‰), suggesting exploitation of POM of both terrigenous and oceanic origins. Correlation between δ 13C and δ 15N was generally weak, indicating multiple carbon sources, likely due to the consumption of different kinds of sinking particles (e.g. marine snow, phytodetritus, etc.), sedimented and frequently recycled POM, together with macrophyte remains. The stronger δ 13C–δ 15N correlations found in February and April suggest that during the period of water column homogeneization (winter–spring), the benthic community was sustained by phytodetritus inputs originating from the peak of surface primary production in February. Conversely, weaker δ 13C–δ 15N correlations were observed during the period of water column stratification (beginning in June–July), suggesting that the benthic community in this period was sustained, with a delay of ca. 2/3 months, by multiple carbon sources including continental inputs from river discharge (with the maxima in April–May). Thus both advective and vertical fluxes seem to be food sources for benthos on the Catalonian slope. Pigments in the guts of key species were generally degraded, and only the active suspension feeder A. longicallus ingested fresh chlorophyll during periods of high primary production at the surface (February and April 2007).

Particle capture mechanisms in suspension-feeding invertebrates

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 418:255-293 (2010) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08755 REVIEW Particle capture mechanisms in suspension-feeding invertebrates Hans Ulrik Riisgård1,*, Poul S. Larsen2 1Marine Biological Research Centre (University of Southern Denmark), Hindsholmvej 11, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark 2DTU Mechanical Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Technical University of Denmark, Building 403, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark *Email: hur@biology.sdu.dk ABSTRACT: A large number of suspension-feeding aquatic animals (e.g. bivalves, polychaetes, ascidians, bryozoans, crustaceans, sponges, echinoderms, cnidarians) have specialized in grazing on not only the 2 to 200 µm phytoplankton but frequently also the 0.5 to 2 µm free-living bacteria, or they have specialized in capturing larger prey, e.g. zooplankton organisms. We review the different particle capture mechanisms in order to illustrate the many solutions to the common problem of obtaining nourishment from a dilute suspension of microscopic food particles. Despite the many differences in morphology and living conditions, particle capture mechanisms may be divided into 2 main types. (1) Filtering or sieving (e.g. through mucus nets, stiff cilia, filter setae), which is found in passive suspension feeders, that rely on external currents to bring suspended particles to the filter, and in active suspension feeders that themselves produce a feeding flow by a variety of pump systems. Here the inventiveness of nature does not lie in the capture mechanism but in the type of pump system and filter pore-size. (2) A paddle-like flow manipulating system (e.g. cilia, cirri, tentacles, hair-bearing appendages) that acts to redirect an approaching suspended particle, often along with a surrounding ‘fluid parcel’, to a strategic location for arrest or further transport. Examples include (1) sieving (e.g. by microvilli in sponge choanocytes, mucus nets in polychaetes, acidians, and salps among others), filter setae in crustaceans, ‘ciliary sieving’ by stiff laterofrontal cilia in bryozoans and phoronids; and (2) ‘cirri trapping’ in mussels and other bivalves with eu-laterofrontal cirri, ciliary ‘catch-up’ in bivalve and gastropod veliger larvae, some polychaetes, entroprocts, and cycliophores. These capture mechanisms may involve contact with a particle, and possibly mechanoreception or chemoreception, or may include redirection of particles by the interaction of multiple currents (e.g. in scallops and other bivalves without eu-laterofrontal cirri). Based on the review, we discuss the current physical and biological understanding of the capture process and suggest a number of specific problems related to particle capture, which may be solved in the future using advanced theoretical, computational and experimental techniques. KEY WORDS: Suspension feeding · Particle retention · Adaptation to the environment · Design of filter-pumps · Sieving · Aerosol theory Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Riisgård HU, Larsen PS (2010) Particle capture mechanisms in suspension-feeding invertebrates. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 418:255-293. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08755 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 418. Online publication date: November 18, 2010 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2010 Inter-Research.

Particle selection by the sea lily Metacrinus rotundus Carpenter 1884 (Echinodermata, Crinoidea)

Crinoids feed on particles less than 1 mm in diameter and are regarded as passive suspension feeders. Previous studies on crinoid gut contents have revealed that crinoids catch a variety of particles, including biotic crusts (e.g. algal filament, sponge spiracle, crustacean appendage), unicellular organisms, detritus, and inorganic grains, and transport them to their intestines, suggesting that feeding is a nonselective process. In this study, we quantitatively examined the gut contents of the stalked crinoid Metacrinus rotundus and assessed whether preferential particle selection was occurring. Crinoid individuals were held in an aquarium and provided with a model food consisting of a mixture of glass beads (to mimic sand particles) in two different sizes, phytoplankton cells (approximately 30 μm), and copepods (approximately 300 μm to 2 mm). M. rotundus took both organic and inorganic particles, but phytoplankton cells were taken in larger numbers than other particles. Our results showed that crinoids selectively took phytoplankton, followed by copepods and glass beads. The ancestor of echinoderms is presumed to have been a sessile filter feeder, and therefore the crinoid food selection process has most likely been maintained since its early Paleozoic ancestors. Because passive suspension feeders filter a smaller volume of seawater per unit time compared to active suspension feeders and because organic matter generally decreases with depth, food selectivity is a key function for passive suspension feeders living in deeper water.

Mixotrophy in the deep sea: a dual endosymbiotic hydrothermal mytilid assimilates dissolved and particulate organic matter

Bathymodiolus azoricus mussels thrive 840 to 2300 m deep at hydrothermal vents of the Azores Triple Junction on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Although previous studies have suggested a mixotrophic regime for this species, no analysis has yet yielded direct evidence for the assimilation of particulate material. In the present study, tracer experiments in aquaria with 13 C- and 15 N-labelled amino acids and marine cyanobacteria demonstrate for the first time the incorporation of dissolved and particulate organic matter in soft tissues of vent mussel. The observation of phytoplanktonic tests in wild mussel stomachs highlights the occurrence of in situ ingestion of sea-surface-derived mater- ial. Particulate organic carbon fluxes in sediment traps moored away from direct vent influence are in agreement with carbon export estimates from the surface ocean above the vents attenuated by microbial degradation. Stable isotope composition of trapped organic matter is similar to values pub- lished in the literature, but is enriched by +7‰ in 13 C and +13‰ in 15 N, relative to mussel gill tissue from the Menez Gwen vent. Although this observation suggests a negligible contribution of photo- synthetically produced organic matter to the diet of B. azoricus, the tracer experiments demonstrate that active suspension-feeding on particles and dissolved organic matter could contribute to the C and N budget of the mussel and should not be neglected.