1
|
Abstract
Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms and their environments. For brachiopods living in marine habitats the main external factors of interest are temperature, water chemistry, light characteristics, and oxygen availability. However, organisms also modify their environments and in many cases the biotic environment may dictate changes or organism responses. Factors of importance here for animals are resources consumed (usually food items), predators that consume the species under study, organisms that compete for resources, organisms that provide benefits such as symbiotic arrangements or new habitat for colonisation, and those organisms which reduce the quality of the environment such as pathogens or parasites.
Collapse
|
2
|
Valentine JW, Jablonski D. LARVAL ADAPTATIONS AND PATTERNS OF BRACHIOPOD DIVERSITY IN SPACE AND TIME. Evolution 2017; 37:1052-1061. [PMID: 28563539 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1983.tb05632.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/1982] [Revised: 11/27/1982] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James W Valentine
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721
| | - David Jablonski
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wulff J. Sponge Contributions to the Geology and Biology of Reefs: Past, Present, and Future. CORAL REEFS OF THE WORLD 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-7567-0_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
|
4
|
Topper TP, Strotz LC, Holmer LE, Zhang Z, Tait NN, Caron JB. Competition and mimicry: the curious case of chaetae in brachiopods from the middle Cambrian Burgess Shale. BMC Evol Biol 2015; 15:42. [PMID: 25886965 PMCID: PMC4477600 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0314-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND One of the first phyla to acquire biomineralized skeletal elements in the Cambrian, brachiopods represent a vital component in unraveling the early evolution and relationships of the Lophotrochozoa. Critical to improving our understanding of lophotrochozoans is the origin, evolution and function of unbiomineralized morphological features, in particular features such as chaetae that are shared between brachiopods and other lophotrochozoans but are poorly understood and rarely preserved. Micromitra burgessensis and Paterina zenobia from the middle Cambrian Burgess Shale are among the most remarkable examples of fossilized chaetae-bearing brachiopods. The form, functional morphology, evolutionary and ecological significance of their chaetae are studied herein. RESULTS Like in Recent forms, the moveable but semi-rigid chaetae fringe both the dorsal and ventral mantle margins, but in terms of length, the chaetae of Burgess Shale taxa can exceed twice the maximum length of the shell from which it projects. This is unique amongst Recent and fossil brachiopod taxa and given their size, prominence and energy investment to the organism certainly had an important functional significance. Micromitra burgessensis individuals are preserved on hard skeletal elements, including conspecific shells, Tubulella and frequently on the spicules of the sponge Pirania muricata, providing direct evidence of an ecological association between two species. Morphological analysis and comparisons with fossil and extant brachiopod chaetae point to a number of potential functions, including sensory, defence, feeding, defouling, mimicry and spatial competition. CONCLUSIONS Our study indicates that it is feasible to link chaetae length to the lack of suitable substrate in the Burgess Shale environment and the increased intraspecific competition associated with this. Our results however, also lend support to the elongated chaetae as an example of Batesian mimicry, of the unpalatable sponge Pirania muricata. We also cannot discount brachiopod chaetae acting as a sensory grille, extending the tactile sensitivity of the mantle into the environment, as an early warning system to approaching predators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy P Topper
- Department of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, SE - 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, , SE-104 05, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Luke C Strotz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Lars E Holmer
- Department of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, SE - 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Zhifei Zhang
- Early Life Institute and Department of Geology, State Key Laboratory for Continental Dynamics, Northwest University, Xian, 710069, China.
| | - Noel N Tait
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Jean-Bernard Caron
- Department of Natural History (Palaeobiology Section), Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, M5S2C6, Canada.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S3B2, Canada.
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S3B1, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kaulfuss A, Seidel R, Lüter C. Linking micromorphism, brooding, and hermaphroditism in brachiopods: insights from Caribbean Argyrotheca (Brachiopoda). J Morphol 2013; 274:361-76. [PMID: 23400897 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2012] [Revised: 05/16/2012] [Accepted: 07/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In extant brachiopods, parental brooding of the larvae occurs exclusively within Rhynchonelliformea. Methods of larval protection range from simple retention of the larvae within the mantle cavity, to sophisticated brood care within highly specialized brood pouches found in Argyrotheca and Joania (Terebratulida, Megathyridoidea), Gwynia (Terebratulida, Gwynioidea), and all Thecideoidea (Thecideida). Previous studies on the reproductive biology of Argyrotheca yielded contrasting results on the epithelial origin of the brood pouches in this genus. Here, representatives of different species of Argyrotheca from the Belize Barrier Reef were examined using histological section series. Brood pouches of four species, A. cf. schrammi and Argyrotheca sp. 1-3, are of the same basic structure, formed by invaginations of the anterior body wall and connected to the visceral cavity via the metanephridia. The same four species are simultaneously hermaphroditic, suggesting that fertilization is achieved, at least partly, through selfing. One species, Argyrotheca rubrocostata, differs significantly from all others as it has no brood pouch and gonochoric gonads. Thus, the presence of brood pouches and simultaneous hermaphroditism are concluded to be correlated within Megathyridoidea and proposed to be homologous traits of Joania and several but not all species of Argyrotheca, questioning the monophyletic status of both genera. In contrast to the brood pouches of Thecideoidea, lophophoral epithelium is not involved in the formation of the pouches of Argyrotheca and Joania. Therefore, megathyridoid and thecideoid brood pouches are not homologous but evolved independently within rhynchonelliform brachiopods. All brachiopods with brood pouches share a micromorphic form and a short life span, limiting the space and time available for gamete and larval development. We suggest that the brood pouches and the hermaphroditic gonads of Argyrotheca spp. and Joania compensate these limitations by minimizing the loss of gametes and larvae, and by maximizing the chances of successful fertilization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne Kaulfuss
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
|
7
|
Wulff J. Ecological interactions and the distribution, abundance, and diversity of sponges. ADVANCES IN MARINE BIOLOGY 2012; 61:273-344. [PMID: 22560780 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-387787-1.00003-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Although abiotic factors may be important first-order filters dictating which sponge species can thrive at a particular site, ecological interactions can play substantial roles influencing distribution and abundance, and thus diversity. Ecological interactions can modify the influences of abiotic factors both by further constraining distribution and abundance due to competitive or predatory interactions and by expanding habitat distribution or abundance due to beneficial interactions that ameliorate otherwise limiting circumstances. It is likely that the importance of ecological interactions has been greatly underestimated because they tend to only be revealed by experiments and time-series observations in the field. Experiments have revealed opportunistic predation to be a primary enforcer of sponge distribution boundaries that coincide with habitat boundaries in several systems. Within habitats, by contrast, dramatic effects of predators on sponge populations seem to occur primarily in cases of unusually high recruitment rates or unusually low mortality rates for the predators, which are often specialists on the sponge species affected. Competitive interactions have been demonstrated to diminish populations or exclude sponge species from a habitat in only a few cases. Cases in which competitive interactions have appeared obvious have often turned out to be neutral or even beneficial interactions when observed over time. Especially striking in this regard are sponge-sponge interactions in dense sponge-dominated communities, which may promote the continued coexistence of all participating species. Mutualistic symbioses of sponges with other animals, plants, or macroalgae have been demonstrated to increase abundance, habitat distribution, and diversity of all participants. Symbiotic microbes can enhance sponge distribution and abundance but also render their hosts more vulnerable to environmental changes. And while photosynthetic symbionts can boost growth and excavation rates for some sponge hosts, in other cases sponge growth proceeds as well or even better in diminished light. Metrics chosen for evaluating sponge abundance make a substantial difference in interpretation of data comparing between different sites, or over time at the same site. In most cases, evaluating abundance by volume or biomass allows more ecologically meaningful interpretation of influences on distribution and abundance than does evaluating abundance by numbers of individuals or area covered. Accurate identification of species, and understanding how they are related within higher taxa, is essential. Studies in every habitat have illustrated the great power of experimental manipulations, and of time-series observations of sponge individuals, for understanding the processes underlying observed patterns; in many cases, these processes have been revealed to be ecological interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Janie Wulff
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Jackson JB, Buss L. Alleopathy and spatial competition among coral reef invertebrates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 72:5160-3. [PMID: 16592298 PMCID: PMC388896 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.72.12.5160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Species of ectoprocts and solitary encrusting animals were subjected in aquaria to homogenates of 11 sympatric species of sponges and colonial ascidians. Five of the nine sponge species and one of the two ascidian species exhibited species-specific allelochemical effects. Evidence suggests that alleochemical provide a wide-spread, specific, and complex mechanism for interference competition for space among natural populations of coral reef organisms. The existence of such species-specific mechanisms may provide a basis for maintenance of diversity in space-limited systems in the absence of high levels of predation and physical disturbance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J B Jackson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Johns University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hoffmann J, Klann M, Matz F. Recent thecideide brachiopods from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia (SW Pacific Ocean). ZOOSYST EVOL 2009. [DOI: 10.1002/zoos.200900010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
|
10
|
Kenchington RA, Hammond LS. Population structure, growth and distribution of
Lingula anatina
(Brachiopoda) in Queensland, Australia. J Zool (1987) 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1978.tb03266.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R. A. Kenchington
- Department of Marine Biology, James Cook University of North Queensland, P. O. James Cook University, Queensland, Australia
| | - L. S. Hammond
- Department of Marine Biology, James Cook University of North Queensland, P. O. James Cook University, Queensland, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
|
12
|
Lee DE, Robinson JH. Kakanuiella(gen. nov.) andThecidellina:Cenozoic and Recent thecideide brachiopods from New Zealand. J R Soc N Z 2003. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2003.9517734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
13
|
Richter C, Wunsch M, Rasheed M, Kötter I, Badran MI. Endoscopic exploration of Red Sea coral reefs reveals dense populations of cavity-dwelling sponges. Nature 2001; 413:726-30. [PMID: 11607030 DOI: 10.1038/35099547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Framework cavities are the largest but least explored coral reef habitat. Previous dive studies of caverns, spaces below plate corals, rubble and artificial cavities suggest that cavity-dwelling (coelobite) filter-feeders are important in the trophodynamics of reefs. Quantitative community data are lacking, however, as the bulk of the narrow crevices interlacing the reef framework are inaccessible to conventional analysis methods. Here we have developed endoscopic techniques to explore Red Sea framework crevices up to 4 m into the carbonate rock, revealing a large internal surface (2.5-7.4 m2 per projected m2 reef) dominated by encrusting filter-feeders. Sponges alone provided up to 60% of coelobite cover, outweighing epi-reefal filter-feeder biomass by two orders of magnitude. Coelobite community filtration removed more than 60% of the phytoplankton in the course of its less than 5-minute passage through the crevices, corresponding to an uptake of roughly 0.9 g carbon m-2 d-1. Mineralization of the largely allochthonous organic material is a principal source of nutrients supporting coral and algal growth. The supply of new material by coelobites may provide a key to understanding the 'coral reef paradox'-a rich ecosystem thriving in nutrient-poor water.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Richter
- Zentrum für Marine Tropenökologie, Fahrenheitstr. 6, D-28359 Bremen, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Harries PJ, Kauffman EG, Hansen TA. Models for biotic survival following mass extinction. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1996. [DOI: 10.1144/gsl.sp.1996.001.01.03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
|
15
|
Submarine caves in a Jurassic reef (La Rochelle, France) and the evolution of cave biotas. Naturwissenschaften 1994. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01136225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
16
|
Scoffin TP, Hendry MD. Shallow-water sclerosponges on Jamaican reefs and a criterion for recognition of hurricane deposits. Nature 1984. [DOI: 10.1038/307728a0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
|
17
|
|
18
|
|
19
|
Sediment-Mediated Biological Disturbance and the Evolution of Marine Benthos. TOPICS IN GEOBIOLOGY 1983. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4757-0740-3_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
|
20
|
|