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Yap-Chiongco MK, Bergmeier FS, Roberts NG, Jörger KM, Kocot KM. Phylogenomic reconstruction of Solenogastres (Mollusca, Aplacophora) informs hypotheses on body size evolution. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2024; 194:108029. [PMID: 38341006 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Body size is a fundamental characteristic of animals that impacts every aspect of their biology from anatomical complexity to ecology. In Mollusca, Solenogastres has been considered important to understanding the group's early evolution as most morphology-based phylogenetic reconstructions placed it as an early branching molluscan lineage. Under this scenario, molluscs were thought to have evolved from a small, turbellarian-like ancestor and small (i.e., macrofaunal) body size was inferred to be plesiomorphic for Solenogastres. More recently, phylogenomic studies have shown that aplacophorans (Solenogastres + Caudofoveata) form a clade with chitons (Polyplacophora), which is sister to all other molluscs, suggesting a relatively large-bodied (i.e., megafaunal) ancestor for Mollusca. Meanwhile, recent investigations into aplacophoran phylogeny have called the assumption that the last common ancestor of Solenogastres was small-bodied into question, but sampling of meiofaunal species was limited, biasing these studies towards large-bodied taxa and leaving fundamental questions about solenogaster body size evolution unanswered. Here, we supplemented available data with transcriptomes from eight diverse meiofaunal species of Solenogastres and conducted phylogenomic analyses on datasets of up to 949 genes. Maximum likelihood analyses support the meiofaunal family Meiomeniidae as the sister group to all other solenogasters, congruent with earlier ideas of a small-bodied ancestor of Solenogastres. In contrast, Bayesian Inference analyses support the large-bodied family Amphimeniidae as the sister group to all other solenogasters. Investigation of phylogenetic signal by comparing site-wise likelihood scores for the two competing hypotheses support the Meiomeniidae-first topology. In light of these results, we performed ancestral character state reconstruction to explore the implications of both hypotheses on understanding of Solenogaster evolution and review previous hypotheses about body size evolution and its potential consequences for solenogaster biology. Both hypotheses imply that body size evolution has been highly dynamic over the course of solenogaster evolution and that their relatively static body plan has successfully allowed for evolutionary transitions between meio-, macro- and megafaunal size ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nickellaus G Roberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Katharina M Jörger
- SNSB-Bavarian State Collection for Zoology, Section Mollusca, Munich, Germany
| | - Kevin M Kocot
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Museum of Natural History, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA.
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2
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Baguley JG, Rostami MA, Baldrighi E, Bang HW, Dyer LA, Montagna PA. Harpacticoid copepods expand the scope and provide family-level indicators of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill deep-sea impacts. Mar Pollut Bull 2024; 202:116343. [PMID: 38626636 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout and oil spill began on April 20, 2010 in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) deep sea (1525 m). Previous studies documented an impacted area of deep-sea floor totaling 321 km2 and were based on taxonomy at the macrofauna family level and the meiofauna major taxonomic level. In the present study, finer taxonomic resolution of the meiofauna community was employed, specifically harpacticoid copepod family biodiversity. Severe or moderate impacts to harpacticoid family biodiversity were observed at 35 of 95 sampling stations, covering an estimated area of 2864 km2, 8.9 times greater impacted area than previously reported. Sensitive and tolerant harpacticoid families were observed in the impact zone. The present study greatly expands the understanding of DWH deep-sea impacts in 2010 and demonstrates that the harpacticoid family-level response is the most sensitive indicator (reported to date) of this oil spill pollution event.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Masoud A Rostami
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV, USA; Department of Data Science, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Elisa Baldrighi
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Hyun Woo Bang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mokwon University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Lee A Dyer
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Paul A Montagna
- Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX, United States of America
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Di Lorenzo T, Tabilio Di Camillo A, Mori E, Viviano A, Mazza G, Pontalti A, Rogora M, Fiasca B, Di Cicco M, Galassi DMP. Effects of a beaver dam on the benthic copepod assemblage of a Mediterranean river. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8956. [PMID: 38637569 PMCID: PMC11026539 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59456-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
As known "ecosystem engineers", beavers influence river hydrology, geomorphology, biochemistry, and biological assemblages. However, there is a lack of research regarding the effects of beaver activities on freshwater meiofauna. In this study, we investigated the taxonomic and functional composition of the benthic copepod assemblage of a segment of the Tiber River (Italy) where a beaver dam, created about 7 weeks before our survey, had formed a semi-lentic habitat upstream and a lotic habitat downstream of the dam. We also analyzed the copepod assemblage before and after a flood event that destroyed the beaver dam, providing a unique opportunity to observe changes in a naturally reversing scenario. Our analyses revealed that, while the taxonomic composition and functional traits of the copepod assemblage remained largely unchanged across the recently formed semi-lentic and lotic habitats, substantial differences were evident between the dammed and undammed states. The dammed state showed lower copepod abundances, biomass, and functionality than the undammed one. These results highlight the role of beaver dams in changing the composition and functionality of meiofaunal assemblages offering insights into the dynamic interactions within aquatic ecosystems.
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Grants
- Project code CN_00000033, Concession Decree No. 1034 of 17 June 2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP B83C22002930006, Project title "National Biodiversity Future Center-NBFC National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.4-Call for tender No. 3138 of 16 December 2021, rectified by Decree n.3175 of 18 December 2021 of the Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU
- Project code CN_00000033, Concession Decree No. 1034 of 17 June 2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP B83C22002930006, Project title "National Biodiversity Future Center-NBFC National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.4-Call for tender No. 3138 of 16 December 2021, rectified by Decree n.3175 of 18 December 2021 of the Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU
- Project code CN_00000033, Concession Decree No. 1034 of 17 June 2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP B83C22002930006, Project title "National Biodiversity Future Center-NBFC National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.4-Call for tender No. 3138 of 16 December 2021, rectified by Decree n.3175 of 18 December 2021 of the Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU
- National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.4-Call for tender No. 3138 of 16 December 2021, rectified by Decree n.3175 of 18 December 2021 of the Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union–NextGenerationEU
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Affiliation(s)
- T Di Lorenzo
- National Research Council of Italy, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CN-IRET), Florence, Italy.
- NBFC (National Biodiversity Future Center), 90133, Palermo, Italy.
| | - A Tabilio Di Camillo
- National Research Council of Italy, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CN-IRET), Florence, Italy
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - E Mori
- National Research Council of Italy, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CN-IRET), Florence, Italy
- NBFC (National Biodiversity Future Center), 90133, Palermo, Italy
| | - A Viviano
- National Research Council of Italy, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CN-IRET), Florence, Italy
| | - G Mazza
- National Research Council of Italy, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CN-IRET), Florence, Italy
- NBFC (National Biodiversity Future Center), 90133, Palermo, Italy
- CREA Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA‑DC), Florence, Italy
| | - A Pontalti
- National Research Council of Italy, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CN-IRET), Florence, Italy
| | - M Rogora
- National Research Council of Italy, Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), Verbania Pallanza, Italy
| | - B Fiasca
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - M Di Cicco
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - D M P Galassi
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
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Schwaha T, Decker SH, Baranyi C, Saadi AJ. Rediscovering the unusual, solitary bryozoan Monobryozoon ambulans Remane, 1936: first molecular and new morphological data clarify its phylogenetic position. Front Zool 2024; 21:5. [PMID: 38443908 PMCID: PMC10913646 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-024-00527-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND One of the most peculiar groups of the mostly colonial phylum Bryozoa is the taxon Monobryozoon, whose name already implies non-colonial members of the phylum. Its peculiarity and highly unusual lifestyle as a meiobenthic clade living on sand grains has fascinated many biologists. In particular its systematic relationship to other bryozoans remains a mystery. Despite numerous searches for M. ambulans in its type locality Helgoland, a locality with a long-lasting marine station and tradition of numerous courses and workshops, it has never been reencountered until today. Here we report the first observations of this almost mythical species, Monobryozoon ambulans. RESULTS For the first time since 1938, we present new modern, morphological analyses of this species as well as the first ever molecular data. Our detailed morphological analysis confirms most previous descriptions, but also ascertains the presence of special ambulatory polymorphic zooids. We consider these as bud anlagen that ultimately consecutively separate from the animal rendering it pseudo-colonial. The remaining morphological data show strong ties to alcyonidioidean ctenostome bryozoans. Our morphological data is in accordance with the phylogenomic analysis, which clusters it with species of Alcyonidium as a sister group to multiporate ctenostomes. Divergence time estimation and ancestral state reconstruction recover the solitary state of M. ambulans as a derived character that probably evolved in the Late Cretaceous. In this study, we also provide the entire mitogenome of M. ambulans, which-despite the momentary lack of comparable data-provides important data of a unique and rare species for comparative aspects in the future. CONCLUSIONS We were able to provide first sequence data and modern morphological data for the unique bryozoan, M. ambulans, which are both supporting an alcyonidioidean relationship within ctenostome bryozoans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Schwaha
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Schlachthausgasse 43, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Sebastian H Decker
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Schlachthausgasse 43, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Baranyi
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Schlachthausgasse 43, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ahmed J Saadi
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Schlachthausgasse 43, 1030, Vienna, Austria
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Pérez-Pech WA, de Jesús-Navarrete A, Vargas-Espositos AA. Does sargassum contribute to meiofauna dispersal? The case of tardigrades and nematodes in the Mexican Caribbean. Mar Environ Res 2024; 195:106349. [PMID: 38237469 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
The knowledge of the long-distance dispersal mechanisms of meiofauna is still limited. Rafting is considered as the main mechanism of dispersal of the meiofauna. The recent events of the Sargassum spp. arrival in the Caribbean provides the opportunity to explore long distance mechanisms. Four samples of floating Sargassum spp. were collected from the water column in Xcalak, Quintana Roo, which arrived at the Reef lagoon and Mangrove fringe. A total of 425 organisms were present, 388 nematodes, 36 tardigrades, and a single acarus. Tardigrades were represented by three species, whereas nematodes were represented by 16 morphotypes. The population of both tardigrades and nematodes was composed of mature and juvenile specimens. One tardigrade was collected during their ecdysis process. Our results suggest that not only the nematodes, but also tardigrades and acari can reach the floating Sargassum spp., maintaining in the algae, growing, and reproducing, while they are transported in the sea. We can conclude that in the Caribbean Sea, the floating Sargassum spp. floating is a dispersal mechanism of nematodes and tardigrades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilbert Andrés Pérez-Pech
- Departamento de Sistemática y Ecología Acuática, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Chetumal, Av. Centenario km 5.5 C.P, 77014, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
| | - Alberto de Jesús-Navarrete
- Departamento de Sistemática y Ecología Acuática, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Chetumal, Av. Centenario km 5.5 C.P, 77014, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Abel Abraham Vargas-Espositos
- Departamento de Sistemática y Ecología Acuática, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Chetumal, Av. Centenario km 5.5 C.P, 77014, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
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6
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Bin-Jumah MN. Are anticoagulant drugs ecotoxic for meiobenthic nematodes from Saudi Arabia? First data on taxon/functional diversity and computational evidences. Mar Pollut Bull 2024; 200:116029. [PMID: 38262212 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Community-level effects of anticoagulants have little been studied in the laboratory. In the current study, the different effects of Warfarin and Tinzaparin, individually or in combination, on meiofauna were investigated for the first time using two concentrations (5 and 25 mg·l-1) of Warfarin (W1 and W2) and Tinzaparin (T1 and T2) for 30 days. The results obtained highlighted the highest tolerance of nematodes and amphipods toward the two anticoagulants tested. Moreover, nematode abundance and taxonomic diversity decreased directly after exposure to T2 and T2W1 because of the high mortality of diatom feeders and their replacement by non-selective deposit feeders (case of Tinzaparin) or omnivores-carnivores (case of Warfarin). The relative taxon/functional similarity between controls and mixtures T1W1 and T2W2 recommends that the toxicity of Tinzaparin can be attenuated by Warfarin. Finally, the computational study of Warfarin supports its potential ecotoxicity since it satisfactorily bound and interacted with GLD-3 and SDP macromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- May Nasser Bin-Jumah
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
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7
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Harbuzov Z, Farberova V, Tom M, Lubinevsky H. Deep-sea meiofaunal communities in the south-eastern Levantine basin and their shaping factors - Morphological-taxonomy-free metabarcoding approach. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10956. [PMID: 38444725 PMCID: PMC10914554 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The <3% dissimilar Amplicon Sequence Variant (ASV) clusters of the 18S-V4 barcode were used as species-proxies for the evaluation of ASV composition and ASV diversity indices characterizing the hitherto poorly investigated meiofaunal communities of the south-eastern part of the Levantine basin. Accompanied by abundance measurements, the relationships of these characteristics with sedimentary and bottom terrain parameters were interpreted. The construction of community composition profiles, namely ASVs' list and their estimated abundances, was done using our previously established procedure (Harbuzov et al., 2022, Marine Genomics 65, 100980), combining metabarcoding with sample reads normalization by the abundance of hard-bodied meiofaunal taxa. The study province included the 54-1418 m depth range, across vertical sub-bottom horizons ranging 0-17 cm. Oxygen, hydrogen sulfide and methane concentrations in the pore water, as well as sediment grain size spectra and sedimentary protein and carbohydrate levels, were measured, followed by an evaluation of their involvement in the shaping of the meiofaunal communities' characteristics. Community composition was generally site-and-horizon dependent and its abundance decreased with increasing bottom depth and across sub-bottom horizons, typical to benthic habitats which are nourished by organic carbon from the euphotic zone. The relatively sharply inclined continental slope bottom located in the northern part of the Israeli coast was an exception. Its meiofaunal community characteristics were speculated to be affected by intensive sediment mixing and lateral transport of food from the shelf, in addition to the effect of the euphotic zone-originated food sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoya Harbuzov
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Ltd.HaifaIsrael
| | | | - Moshe Tom
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Ltd.HaifaIsrael
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Kim JW, Kim HG, Kim H, Hawkins SJ, Seo IS, Oh CW. Spatial distribution of meiofaunal and macrofaunal assemblages in the tidal flats of the southern Korean coast in relation to natural and anthropogenic impacts. Mar Pollut Bull 2023; 194:115377. [PMID: 37579707 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the spatial variability of macrofaunal and meiofaunal assemblages in intertidal flats on the southern coast of Korea. Abiotic and biotic samples were collected at five stations. The species richness, density, and composition of the assemblages differed significantly among stations. Nematoda and Annelida were the most dominant meiofaunal and macrofaunal taxa, respectively, although taxon dominance differed among stations. Distance-based linear models showed that sediment-related variables and heavy metals were the main environmental factors determining the spatial variability of the assemblages. Macrofauna had only sediment-related variables and heavy metals as major environmental factors, but meiofauna were also influenced by other environmental factors such as sea surface temperature, dissolved oxygen-related variables, and salinity. This study can provide basic ecological data for understanding the spatial distribution of macro-meiofaunal assemblages and aid in the development of marine environmental management strategies on the western south coast of Korea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong Won Kim
- Department of Industry 4.0 Convergence Bionics Engineering, The Graduate School, Pukyong National University, Busan, Republic of Korea; Ocean Climate Response & Ecosystem Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeong-Gi Kim
- Department of Marine Environmental Science, College of Natural Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hyein Kim
- Department of Marine Environmental Science, College of Natural Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Stephen John Hawkins
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK; Marine Biological Association of the UK, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth L1 2PB, United Kingdom
| | - In-Soo Seo
- Korea Benthos Research Center, Co. Ltd. Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Chul-Woong Oh
- Department of Marine Biology, College of Fisheries Sciences, Pukyong National University, Busan, Republic of Korea.
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Mitwally H, Rashidy HE, Montagna P. Linkages between pelagic and benthic biota in a deteriorated coastal lake after restoration, Maruit, Egypt. Environ Monit Assess 2023; 195:919. [PMID: 37405573 PMCID: PMC10322792 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11525-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
Until the 1960s, Lake Maruit was one of Egypt's most productive coastal brackish lakes. Continuous polluted discharge from Alexandria city resulted in long-term deterioration. The Egyptian government started a lake restoration program in 2010. Biological linkages between pelagic and benthic communities were assessed in November 2012 using parasitism and predation. This study examined ectoparasites infesting tilapia fish from 300 samples. The platyhelminth ectoparasite, Monogenea, and parasitic-copepod Ergasilus lizae were detected. Platyhelminthes parasitized Oreochromis niloticus and Oreochromis aureus, whereas the crustacean parasitized Coptodon zillii. The parasitic prevalence was low for Cichlidogyrus sp. and Ergasilus lizae. Benthic biotas were similar across basins. Fish abundance does not respond directly to benthic biotic components. Phytoplankton and benthic microalgae were not the main fish diet. Data on Halacaridae and fish clustered, indicating that either Halacaridae responds to their environment like fish or fish prey upon them because of their size. Linear correlations between pelagic, benthic biota, and parasite-infected fish indicate parasites may control their hosts. Some bioindicators indicate that stressed ecosystems differ from unstressed ecosystems. Fish species and biota abundances were low. Inconsistency in the food web and an absence of direct interactions between prey and predators are bioindicators of disturbed ecosystems. The low prevalence of ectoparasites and lack of heterogenous distribution of the various examined biota are bioindicators of habitat rehabilitation. Ongoing biomonitoring to better understand habitat rehabilitation is suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanan Mitwally
- Oceanography Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
| | - Hoda El Rashidy
- Oceanography Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Paul Montagna
- Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX, USA
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Baldrighi E, Pizzini S, Punzo E, Santelli A, Strafella P, Scirocco T, Manini E, Fattorini D, Vasapollo C. Multi-benthic size approach to unveil different environmental conditions in a Mediterranean harbor area (Ancona, Adriatic Sea, Italy). PeerJ 2023; 11:e15541. [PMID: 37397025 PMCID: PMC10314744 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Harbors are hubs of human activity and are subject to the continuous discharge and release of industrial, agricultural, and municipal waste and contaminants. Benthic organisms are largely known to reflect environmental conditions they live in. Despite meio- and macrofauna interacting within the benthic system, they are ecologically distinct components of the benthos and as such may not necessarily respond to environmental conditions and/or disturbances in the same way. However, in a few field studies the spatial patterns of meio- and macrofauna have been simultaneously compared. In the present study, we assess the response and patterns in the abundance, diversity, and distribution of the two benthic size classes to the different environmental conditions they live in (i.e., sediment concentrations of selected trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); organic matter contents and grain size) characterizing the Ancona Harbor (Adriatic Sea). Meio- and macrofauna provided partially similar types of information depending on the indices used (univariate measures or community structure/species composition) and the different 'response-to-stress'. The community structure (i.e., taxa composition) of both benthic size components clearly showed differences among sampling stations located from inside to outside the harbor, reflecting the marked environmental heterogeneity and disturbance typically characterizing these systems. Notwithstanding, the univariate measures (i.e., meio- and macrofauna total abundance, diversity indices and equitability) didn't show similar spatial patterns. Meiofauna were likely to be more sensitive to the effects of environmental features and contaminants than macrofauna. Overall, trace metals and PAHs affected the community composition of the two benthic components, but only the meiofauna abundance and diversity were related to the environmental variables considered (i.e., quantity and quality of organic matter). Our results pinpoint the importance of studying both meio- and macrofauna communities, which could provide greater insight into the processes affecting the investigated area and reveal different aspects of the benthic ecosystems in response to harbor conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Baldrighi
- Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies—IRBIM, National Research Council—CNR, Italy, Ancona, Marche, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Sarah Pizzini
- Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies—IRBIM, National Research Council—CNR, Italy, Ancona, Marche, Italy
- Fano Marine Center, The Inter-Institute Center for Research on Marine Biodiversity, Resources and Biotechnologies, Fano, Italy
| | - Elisa Punzo
- Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies—IRBIM, National Research Council—CNR, Italy, Ancona, Marche, Italy
| | - Angela Santelli
- Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies—IRBIM, National Research Council—CNR, Italy, Ancona, Marche, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Strafella
- Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies—IRBIM, National Research Council—CNR, Italy, Ancona, Marche, Italy
| | - Tommaso Scirocco
- Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies—IRBIM, National Research Council—CNR, Italy, Lesina, Italy
| | - Elena Manini
- Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies—IRBIM, National Research Council—CNR, Italy, Ancona, Marche, Italy
| | - Daniele Fattorini
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente (Disva), Università Politecnica delle Marche (Univpm), Ancona, Italy
- Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (Conisma), Unità di Ricerca di Ancona (Italy), Ancona, Marche, Italy
| | - Claudio Vasapollo
- Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies—IRBIM, National Research Council—CNR, Italy, Ancona, Marche, Italy
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Justino JT, Demetrio GR, Neres PF, Meneses D, Pinto TK. A functional perspective of nematode assemblages as proxy of quality in tropical estuarine tidal flats. Mar Environ Res 2023; 186:105922. [PMID: 36812839 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.105922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Functional aspects of biological communities influence ecosystem processes and it is urgent to understand how human disturbances affect functional diversity and ecosystem functions and services. Our purpose was to address the use of different functional metrics of nematode assemblages to evaluate the ecological status of tropical estuaries subjected to different human activities, aiming to advance and improve the knowledge about the usefulness of functional attributes as indicators of environmental quality. Three approaches were compared: functional diversity indexes, single trait, and multi traits using the Biological Traits Analysis. The RLQ + fourth-corner combined method was used to identify relationships among functional traits, inorganic nutrients, and metals concentrations. Lower values of FDiv, FSpe, and FOri indicate a convergence of functions, characterizing impacted conditions. A dominant set of traits was related to disturbance, mainly inorganic nutrient enrichment. All the approaches allowed for the detection of disturbed conditions, however, multi traits was the most sensitive one.
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12
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Cunha BP, Fonseca G, Amaral ACZ. Two new species of Cyatholaimidae (Nematoda: Chromadorida) from the Southeastern Brazilian coast with emphasis on the pore complex and lateral pore-like structures. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14712. [PMID: 36846449 PMCID: PMC9948750 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyatholaimidae is a common and diverse family of mainly marine nematodes, potentially, with a large number of species to be discovered. The taxonomy of the group is marked by a lack of information about the evolutionary history of the characters and of detailed descriptions of morphological structures that may be taxonomically relevant. Two new species of the family are described from a sublittoral region in Southeastern Brazil, emphasizing the importance of the distribution and morphology of pore complex and pore-like structures present on the cuticle. The taxonomic importance of the cuticle ornamentation and spicule shape for the Biarmifer species, as well as the precloacal supplements structures of Pomponema species, are discussed. Biarmifer nesiotes sp. nov. differs from other species of the genus by the presence of eight longitudinal rows of pore complex on the cuticle and by the shape of the copulatory structure. Pomponema longispiculum sp. nov. differs from the most similar species, P. stomachor Wieser, 1954, by the smaller number of turns of the amphidial fovea, the shorter tail and the beginning of the cuticle lateral differentiation (3/4 of the pharynx length vs. end of the pharynx, respectively). We also obtained the SSU rDNA sequence from Pomponema longispiculum sp. nov., which is closely related to Pomponema sp. (MN250093) by about 91%. Updated tabular keys to species identification of each genus (Biarmifer and Pomponema) are included, containing morphometric data, characters related to cuticle ornamentation, and copulatory structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz P. Cunha
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Fonseca
- Instituto do Mar, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Santos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Antonia Cecília Z. Amaral
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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13
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Coppo G, Pais FS, Ferreira TO, Halanych KM, Donnelly K, Mazzuco AC, Bernardino AF. Transition of an estuarine benthic meiofauna assemblage 1.7 and 2.8 years after a mining disaster. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14992. [PMID: 36935931 PMCID: PMC10022502 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Estuaries are transitional coastal ecosystems that are threatened by multiple sources of human pollution. In 2015, mining tailings from an upstream dam failure caused massive metal contamination that impacted benthic assemblages on the Brazilian Rio Doce estuary. Methods In this study, we investigate and compare meiofaunal assemblages with eDNA metabarcoding 1.7 years (2017) and 2.8 years (2018) after the initial contamination by mine tailings in order to evaluate the continued impact of sediment mine tailing contaminants on the structure of benthic assemblages after the disaster. Results The community was dominated by Arthropoda and Nematoda 1.7 yr after the impacts (42 and 29% of meiofaunal sequence reads, respectively) but after 2.8 years Arthropoda (64.8% of meiofaunal sequence reads) and Rotifera (11.8%) were the most common taxa. This continued impact on meiofaunal assemblage revealed a lower phylogenetic diversity (7.8-fold) in 2018, despite overall decrease in metal concentration (Al, Ba, Cr, As, Fe, Zn, Mn, Pb, Cd, Co) in sediments. Our data suggests that differences in benthic assemblages and loss of diversity may be influenced by contaminants in sediments of this estuary, and indicate that broad eDNA assessments are greatly useful to understand the full range of biodiversity changes in dynamic estuarine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Coppo
- Grupo de Ecologia Bentônica, Department of Oceanography, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Fabiano S. Pais
- Plataforma de Bioinformática, Instituto René Rachou, FIOCRUZ/Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Tiago O. Ferreira
- Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ken M. Halanych
- Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, United States of America
| | - Kyle Donnelly
- Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, United States of America
| | - Ana Carolina Mazzuco
- Grupo de Ecologia Bentônica, Department of Oceanography, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Angelo F. Bernardino
- Grupo de Ecologia Bentônica, Department of Oceanography, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil
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14
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Fajemila OT, Martínez-Colón M, Spezzaferri S. Spatial distribution of pollution levels and assessment of benthic foraminifera in Apapa-Badagry Creek, Nigeria. Mar Pollut Bull 2022; 185:114359. [PMID: 36435017 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The Apapa and Badagry creeks in Nigeria are a corridor of long-term anthropogenic activities, including mangrove removal, urban expansion, and industrialization. Consequently, this uncontrolled development led to the release of untreated effluents and wastes, which resulted in sediment and water quality degradation. This area has the highest degree of pollution (Enrichment and Contamination Factors) especially north of Tincan Island where potentially toxic element (PTE) depocenters occur. Our data shows that salinity and pH are the two main factors favoring foraminiferal distributions, but the sediments in the depocenters with the highest degree of PTE pollution are barren of foraminifera. Bioavailable sediment-bound PTEs have been found to negatively impact the assemblage distribution and diversity. It is important to highlight that dissolved phosphorous was the only PTE that negatively impacted species richness. This study highlights the significance of implementing PTE bioavailability as an integral part of ecosystem functioning in all nearshore environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Silvia Spezzaferri
- Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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15
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Good E, Holman LE, Pusceddu A, Russo T, Rius M, Iacono CL. Detection of community-wide impacts of bottom trawl fishing on deep-sea assemblages using environmental DNA metabarcoding. Mar Pollut Bull 2022; 183:114062. [PMID: 36075115 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although considerable research progress on the effects of anthropogenic disturbance in the deep sea has been made in recent years, our understanding of these impacts at community level remains limited. Here, we studied deep-sea assemblages of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea) subject to different intensities of benthic trawling using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding and taxonomic identification of meiofauna communities. Firstly, eDNA metabarcoding data did not detect trawling impacts using alpha diversity whereas meiofauna data detected a significant effect of trawling. Secondly, both eDNA and meiofauna data detected significantly different communities across distinct levels of trawling intensity when we examined beta diversity. Taxonomic assignment of the eDNA data revealed that Bryozoa was present only at untrawled sites, highlighting their vulnerability to trawling. Our results provide evidence for community-wide impacts of trawling, with different trawling intensities leading to distinct deep-sea communities. Finally, we highlight the need for further studies to unravel understudied deep-sea biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Good
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, Southampton, United Kingdom.
| | - Luke E Holman
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, Southampton, United Kingdom; Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Antonio Pusceddu
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via T. Fiorelli, 1, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Tommaso Russo
- Laboratory of Experimental Ecology and Aquaculture, Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome 00133, Italy
| | - Marc Rius
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, Southampton, United Kingdom; Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes - Spanish National Research Council (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes (Girona), Spain; Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Claudio Lo Iacono
- Marine Sciences Institute - Spanish National Research Council (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
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16
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Harbuzov Z, Farberova V, Tom M, Pallavicini A, Stanković D, Lotan T, Lubinevsky H. Amplicon sequence variant-based meiofaunal community composition revealed by DADA2 tool is compatible with species composition. Mar Genomics 2022; 65:100980. [PMID: 35963148 DOI: 10.1016/j.margen.2022.100980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The present study is aimed at implementing the morphological identification-free amplicon sequence variant (ASV) concept for describing meiofaunal species composition, while strongly indicating reasonable compatibility with the underlying species. A primer pair was constructed and demonstrated to PCR amplify a 470-490 bp 18S barcode from a variety of meiofaunal taxa, high throughput sequenced using the Illumina 300 × 2 bps platform. Sixteen 18S multi-species HTS assemblies were created from meiofaunal samples and merged to one assembly of ~2,150,000 reads. Five quality scores (q = 35, 30, 25, 20, 15) were implemented to filter five 18S barcode assemblies, which served as inputs for the DADA2 software, ending with five reference ASV libraries. Each of these libraries was clustered, applying 3% dissimilarity threshold, revealed an average number of 1.38 ± 0.078 ASVs / cluster. Hence, demonstrating high level of ASV uniqueness. The libraries which were based on q ≤ 25 reached a near-asymptote number of ASVs which together with the low average number of ASVs / cluster, strongly indicated fair representation of the actual number of the underlying species. Hence, the q = 25 library was selected to be used as metabarcoding reference library. It contained 461 ASVs and 342-3% clusters with average number of 1.34 ± 1.036 ASV / cluster and their BLASTN annotation elucidated a variety of expected meiofaunal taxa. The sixteen assemblies of sample-specific paired reads were mapped to this reference library and sample ASV profiles, namely the list of ASVs and their proportional copy numbers were created and clustered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoya Harbuzov
- National Institute of Oceanography, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research, P.O.B 9753, Haifa 3109701, Israel; Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Department of Marine Biology, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Koushy Ave., Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel.
| | - Valeria Farberova
- National Institute of Oceanography, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research, P.O.B 9753, Haifa 3109701, Israel; Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Department of Marine Biology, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Koushy Ave., Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Moshe Tom
- National Institute of Oceanography, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research, P.O.B 9753, Haifa 3109701, Israel
| | - Alberto Pallavicini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 5, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - David Stanković
- National institute of Biology, Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tamar Lotan
- Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Department of Marine Biology, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Koushy Ave., Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Hadas Lubinevsky
- National Institute of Oceanography, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research, P.O.B 9753, Haifa 3109701, Israel
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17
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Rauchschwalbe MT, Höss S, Haegerbaeumer A, Traunspurger W. Long-term exposure of a free-living freshwater micro- and meiobenthos community to microplastic mixtures in microcosms. Sci Total Environ 2022; 827:154207. [PMID: 35240192 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics in a wide range of shapes and polymer types (MPs; <5 mm) accumulate in freshwater sediments, where they may pose an environmental threat to sediment-dwelling micro- and meiobenthos. To date, the effects of MPs on those organisms have mostly been studied in single-species experiments exposed to high particle concentrations. By contrast, there have been few investigations of the effects resulting from the long-term exposure of natural communities to environmental relevant MPs. This research gap was addressed in the present study. A microcosm experiment was conducted to examine the impact of a mixture of MPs of varying polymer composition, shape, and size (50% polystyrene (PS) beads: 1-μm diameter; 37% polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fragments: 32 × 21 μm in size, and 13% polyamide (PA) fibers 104 × 15 μm in size; % based on the total particle number) provided at two concentrations (low: 4.11 × 105 MPs/kg sediment dw and high: 4.11 × 107 MPs/kg sediment dw) and two exposure durations (4 and 12 weeks) on a micro- and meiobenthic community collected from a freshwater sediment. MPs exposure did not alter the abundance of protozoa (ciliates and flagellates) as well as the abundance and biomass of meiobenthic organisms (nematodes, rotifers, oligochaetes, gastrotrichs, nauplii), whereas the abundance and biomass of harpacticoid copepods was affected. Neither nematode species diversity (species richness, Shannon-Wiener index, and evenness) nor the NemaSPEAR[%]-index (pollution-sensitive index based on freshwater nematodes) changed in response to the MPs. However, changes in the structure of the meiobenthic and nematode community in the presence of environmentally relevant MPs mixtures cannot be excluded, such that microcosms experiments may be of value in detecting subtle, indirect effects of MPs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Arne Haegerbaeumer
- Bielefeld University, Animal Ecology, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Walter Traunspurger
- Bielefeld University, Animal Ecology, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
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18
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Møbjerg A, Kodama M, Ramos-Madrigal J, Neves RC, Jørgensen A, Schiøtt M, Gilbert MTP, Møbjerg N. Extreme freeze-tolerance in cryophilic tardigrades relies on controlled ice formation but does not involve significant change in transcription. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 271:111245. [PMID: 35640792 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.111245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Subzero temperatures are among the most significant factors defining the distribution of organisms, yet, certain taxa have evolved to overcome this barrier. The microscopic tardigrades are among the most freeze-tolerant animals, with selected species reported to survive milli-Kelvin temperatures. Here, we estimate survival of fully hydrated eutardigrades of the species Ramazzottius varieornatus following exposures to -20 °C and -80 °C as well as -196 °C with or without initial cooling to -80 °C. The tardigrades easily survive these temperatures, yet with a significant decrease in viability following rapid cooling by direct exposure to -196 °C. Hence, post-freeze recovery of R. varieornatus seems to rely on cooling rate and thus controlled ice formation. Cryophilic organisms are renowned for having cold-active enzymes that secure appropriate reaction rates at low temperatures. Hence, extreme freeze-tolerance in R. varieornatus could potentially involve syntheses of cryoprotectants and de novo transcription. We therefore generated a reference transcriptome for this cryophilic R. varieornatus population and explored for differential gene expression patterns following cooling to -80 °C as compared to active 5 °C controls. Specifically, we tested for fast transcription potentially occurring within 25 min of cooling from room temperature to a supercooling point of ca. -20 °C, at which the tardigrades presumably freeze and enter into the ametabolic state of cryobiosis. Our analyses revealed no evidence for differential gene expression. We, therefore, conclude that extreme freeze-tolerance in R. varieornatus relies on controlled extracellular freezing with any freeze-tolerance related genes being constitutively expressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ask Møbjerg
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. https://twitter.com/askmobjerg
| | - Miyako Kodama
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jazmín Ramos-Madrigal
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Aslak Jørgensen
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten Schiøtt
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; University Museum, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Nadja Møbjerg
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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19
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Gambi C, Canals M, Corinaldesi C, Dell'Anno A, Manea E, Pusceddu A, Sanchez-Vidal A, Danovaro R. Impact of resuspended mine tailings on benthic biodiversity and ecosystem processes: The case study of Portmán Bay, Western Mediterranean Sea, Spain. Environ Pollut 2022; 301:119021. [PMID: 35192885 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Industrial seabed mining is expected to cause significant impacts on marine ecosystems, including physical disturbance and the generation of plumes of toxin-laden water. Portmán Bay (NW Mediterranean Sea), where an estimated amount of 60 Mt of mine tailings from sulphide ores were dumped from 1957 to 1990, is one of the most metal-polluted marine areas in Europe and worldwide. This bay can be used to assess the impact on marine ecosystems of particle settling from sediment plumes resulting from mine tailings resuspension. With this purpose in mind, we conducted a field experiment there to investigate subsequent effects of deposition of (artificially resuspended) contaminated sediments on (i) prokaryotic abundance and meiofaunal assemblages (in terms of abundance and diversity), (ii) the availability of trophic resources (in terms of organic matter biochemical composition), and (iii) a set of ecosystem functions including meiofaunal biomass, heterotrophic C production and C degradation rates. The results of this study show that mine tailings resuspension and plume deposition led to the decline of prokaryotic abundance and nematode's biodiversity. The later decreased because of species removal and transfer along with particle resuspension and plume deposition. Such changes were also associated to a decrease of the proteins content in the sediment organic matter, faster C degradation rates and higher prokaryotic C production. Overall, this study highlights that mine tailing resuspension and ensuing particle deposition can have deleterious effects on both prokaryotes and nematode diversity, alter biogeochemical cycles and accelerate C degradation rates. These results should be considered for the assessment of the potential effects of seabed mineral exploitation on marine ecosystems at large.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Gambi
- Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze Della Vita e Dell'Ambiente, 60131, Ancona, Italy.
| | - Miquel Canals
- University of Barcelona, CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cinzia Corinaldesi
- Scienze e Ingegneria Della Materia, Dell'Ambiente Ed Urbanistica, Università Politecnica Delle Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Antonio Dell'Anno
- Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze Della Vita e Dell'Ambiente, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Manea
- Institute of Marine Sciences, National Research Council, ISMAR-CNR, Arsenale, Tesa 104, Castello 2737/F, 30122, Venice, Italy
| | - Antonio Pusceddu
- Università Degli Studi di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Scienze Della Vita e Dell'Ambiente, 09126, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Anna Sanchez-Vidal
- University of Barcelona, CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roberto Danovaro
- Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze Della Vita e Dell'Ambiente, 60131, Ancona, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Napoli, Italy
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20
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Lenzo D, Pezzolesi L, Samorì C, Rindi F, Pasteris A, Pistocchi R, Colangelo MA. Allelopathic interactions between phytobenthos and meiofaunal community in an Adriatic benthic ecosystem: Understanding the role of aldehydes and macroalgal structural complexity. Sci Total Environ 2022; 807:150827. [PMID: 34627880 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Macroalgae produce several allelopathic substances, including polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs), which may inhibit photosynthesis and growth rates of other algal species, and grazing. Additionally, macroalgal structural complexity is an important factor in determining abundance patterns and size structure of epiphytic organisms. In this study the PUAs production of two Mediterranean macroalgae, Dictyopteris polypodioides, (DP, Phaeophyceae, Dictyotales) and Cystoseira compressa (CC, Phaeophyceae, Fucales), was characterized to clarify the relationships between the meiobenthic and microphytobenthic communities. Results showed a higher PUAs production and a diverse qualitative profile for DP, which reported long-chain compounds (i.e. C14-C16) as main aldehydes, than CC, with the short-chain C6:2 as the main compound, as well as variability among sampling times. A clear separation of the meiofauna and microphytobenthos assemblages was found for the macroalgae, but with different temporal trends. Dissimilarities were due to five microalgal orders, namely Naviculales, Lyrellales, Gonyaulacales (i.e. Ostreopsis), Bacillariales, and Licmophorales, and to the meiofaunal groups nematodes, copepods, and copepod nauplii, which were more abundant on DP than on CC. Results indicate that macroalgal complexity is a major determinant of the meiofaunal community structure (accounting for 26% of the variation), rather than PUAs production itself (17%). PUAs effects seem species-specific, thus affecting some grazers instead of the entire community. Conversely, microphytobenthos affected the meiofauna assemblages, particularly harpacticoids, confirming the role of these organisms as the primary food source of all marine food chain producers. Since PUAs are produced also by several epiphytic diatoms, the understanding of their effects on the community structure and on the relationships among taxa in the field is complicated and requires further in-depth investigations in simplified systems (i.e. microcosms).
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Lenzo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali - Università di Bologna, via Sant'Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, Italy
| | - Laura Pezzolesi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali - Università di Bologna, via Sant'Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, Italy.
| | - Chiara Samorì
- Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician" - Università di Bologna, via Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Fabio Rindi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente - Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Andrea Pasteris
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali - Università di Bologna, via Sant'Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, Italy
| | - Rossella Pistocchi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali - Università di Bologna, via Sant'Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, Italy
| | - Marina Antonia Colangelo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali - Università di Bologna, via Sant'Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, Italy
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21
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Hannachi A, Nasri A, Allouche M, Aydi A, Mezni A, D'Agostino F, Avellone G, Gambi C, Beyrem H, Mahmoudi E. Diuron environmental levels effects on marine nematodes: Assessment of ecological indices, taxonomic diversity, and functional traits. Chemosphere 2022; 287:132262. [PMID: 34543897 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Coastal marine systems are the most sensitive zones to emerging pollutants. The present study aims to investigate the effect of Diuron on the meiofaunal assemblages, collected from the Bizerte channel (Tunisia). Microcosm experiments were set up using four increasing Diuron concentrations [D1 (10 ng g-1 dry weight (DW)), D2 (50 ng g-1 DW), D3 (250 ng g-1 DW) and (1250 ng g-1 DW)] compared to non-contaminated sediments (controls) and all plots were incubated for 30 days. Our results show that Diuron-supplemented sediments provoked the significant decrease of meiofaunal abundance as well as a change in nematodes' diversity and structure composition. All univariate indices, as well as the cumulative k-dominance, were lower in the Diuron than the control plot. Additionally, the ordination of treatments according to the two-dimensional nMDS plots analysis showed a clear structural separation of the Diuron treated replicates from the controls based on the functional groups lists. These current data emphasize the utility of the use of biological traits in the detection of disturbances in the aquatic biotope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amel Hannachi
- University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, LR01ES14 Laboratory of Biomonitoring of the Environment, 7021, Zarzouna, Tunisia
| | - Ahmed Nasri
- University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, LR01ES14 Laboratory of Biomonitoring of the Environment, 7021, Zarzouna, Tunisia.
| | - Mohamed Allouche
- University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, LR01ES14 Laboratory of Biomonitoring of the Environment, 7021, Zarzouna, Tunisia
| | - Abdelwaheb Aydi
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science of Bizerte, Carthage University, Jarzouna, 7021, Bizerte, Tunisia
| | - Amine Mezni
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fabio D'Agostino
- Institute for the Study of Anthropogenic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment of Council National of Research (CNR-IAS), and University of Palermo (STEBICEF), Italy
| | - Giuseppe Avellone
- Institute for the Study of Anthropogenic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment of Council National of Research (CNR-IAS), and University of Palermo (STEBICEF), Italy
| | - Crsitina Gambi
- Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Hamouda Beyrem
- University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, LR01ES14 Laboratory of Biomonitoring of the Environment, 7021, Zarzouna, Tunisia
| | - Ezzeddine Mahmoudi
- University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, LR01ES14 Laboratory of Biomonitoring of the Environment, 7021, Zarzouna, Tunisia
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22
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Corinaldesi C, Canensi S, Carugati L, Lo Martire M, Marcellini F, Nepote E, Sabbatini S, Danovaro R. Organic enrichment can increase the impact of microplastics on meiofaunal assemblages in tropical beach systems. Environ Pollut 2022; 292:118415. [PMID: 34718087 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The cumulative impact of microplastic and organic enrichment is still largely unknown. Here, we investigated the microplastic contamination, the organic enrichment and their effects on meiofaunal distribution and diversity in two islands of the Maldivian archipelago: one more pristine, and another strongly anthropized. Field studies were coupled with manipulative experiments in which microplastic polymers were added to sediments from the non-anthropized island (i.e., without organic enrichment) to assess the relative effect of microplastic pollution on meiofauna assemblages. Our results reveal that the impact of microplastic contamination on meiofaunal abundance and taxa richness was more significant in the anthropized island, which was also characterized by a significant organic enrichment. Meiofauna exposed experimentally to microplastic contamination showed: i) the increased abundance of opportunistic nematodes and copepods and ii) a shift in the trophic structure, increasing relevance in epistrate-feeder nematodes. Based on all these results, we argue that the coexistence of chronic organic enrichment and microplastics can significantly increase the ecological impacts on meiofaunal assemblages. Since microplastic pollution in the oceans is predicted to increase in the next decades, its negative effects on benthic biodiversity and functioning of tropical ecosystems are expected to worsen especially when coupled with human-induced eutrophication. Urgent actions and management plans are needed to avoid the cumulative impact of microplastic and organic enrichment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Corinaldesi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Ingegneria della Materia, dell'Ambiente ed Urbanistica, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, Italy.
| | - Sara Canensi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Laura Carugati
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Marco Lo Martire
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, Italy
| | | | - Ettore Nepote
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Simona Sabbatini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Ingegneria della Materia, dell'Ambiente ed Urbanistica, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Roberto Danovaro
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, Italy
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23
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Herranz M, Park T, Di Domenico M, Leander BS, Sørensen MV, Worsaae K. Revisiting kinorhynch segmentation: variation of segmental patterns in the nervous system of three aberrant species. Front Zool 2021; 18:54. [PMID: 34674731 PMCID: PMC8529749 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00438-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Kinorhynch segmentation differs from the patterns found in Chordata, Arthropoda and Annelida which have coeloms and circulatory systems. Due to these differences and their obsolete status as 'Aschelminthes', the microscopic kinorhynchs are often not acknowledged as segmented bilaterians. Yet, morphological studies have shown a conserved segmental arrangement of ectodermal and mesodermal organ systems with spatial correspondence along the anterior-posterior axis. However, a few aberrant kinorhynch lineages present a worm-like body plan with thin cuticle and less distinct segmentation, and thus their study may aid to shed new light on the evolution of segmental patterns within Kinorhyncha. RESULTS Here we found the nervous system in the aberrant Cateria styx and Franciscideres kalenesos to be clearly segmental, and similar to those of non-aberrant kinorhynchs; hereby not mirroring their otherwise aberrant and posteriorly shifted myoanatomy. In Zelinkaderes yong, however, the segmental arrangement of the nervous system is also shifted posteriorly and misaligned with respect to the cuticular segmentation. CONCLUSIONS The morphological disparity together with the distant phylogenetic positions of F. kalenesos, C. styx and Z. yong support a convergent origin of aberrant appearances and segmental mismatches within Kinorhyncha.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Herranz
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Taeseo Park
- National Institute of Biological Resources, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Maikon Di Domenico
- Centro de Estudos do Mar, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Pontal do Paraná, Brazil
| | - Brian S Leander
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Martin V Sørensen
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Katrine Worsaae
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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24
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Kang T, Kim D. Meiofauna and nematode community composition in a hydrothermal vent and deep-sea sediments in the Central Indian Ridge. Mar Pollut Bull 2021; 170:112616. [PMID: 34147859 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The hydrothermal ecosystem is very unusual, yet little research has so far been conducted on meiofauna in hydrothermal zones. To identify the communities of both meiofauna and nematodes around the Onnuri Vent Field (OVF), we collected sediment from a hydrothermal zone in the OVF and deep-sea (DS) sediments (non-vent) outside the OVF. Sampling was conducted at seven stations using multiple corers on the Research Vessel ISABU in June 2018 and June-July 2019. The average densities of meiofauna ± standard deviation ranged from 21.7 ± 5.2 to 122.3 ± 45.0 individuals/10 cm2. The structure of the meiofaunal community differed between the OVF and DS. The two most dominant groups of meiofauna in both environments were nematodes and harpacticoids. Statistical analyses showed significant differences in the structure of the nematode community between OVF and DS. We also found that the richness, evenness, and diversity of nematodes in the OVF were lower than those in the DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teawook Kang
- Marine Research Center, National Park Research Institute, Bakramhoi-gil 1, Yeosu-si, 59723, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongsung Kim
- Marine Ecosystem Research Center, KIOST, 385, Haeyang-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan 49111, Republic of Korea.
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25
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Guerra-García JM, Navarro-Barranco C, Ros M, Sedano F, Espinar R, Fernández-Romero A, Martínez-Laiz G, Cuesta JA, Giráldez I, Morales E, Florido M, Moreira J. Ecological quality assessement of marinas: An integrative approach combining biological and environmental data. J Environ Manage 2021; 286:112237. [PMID: 33676130 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The importance of marinas as infrastructures for recreational boating is increasing substantially. However, information on their soft-bottom benthic communities, a key tool for managing programmes, is still scarce. We combined environment features with macro- and meiofaunal soft-bottom community information for assessing the ecological status of marinas with an integrative approach. To address this issue, we focused on eight marinas of the Southern Iberian Peninsula. Macro- and meiofauna data revealed high benthic heterogeneity at a spatial scale. The environmental variables which correlated best with macrofauna were mainly phosphorus, granulometry, and total organic carbon, and secondarily important variables were faecal coliforms, the biocide Irgarol, and heavy metals; total hydrocarbon concentration was also significant for meiofauna. Annelida was the dominant phylum in terms of number of species (37%) and abundance (66%) and were better descriptors of the environmental conditions than Arthropoda and Mollusca. Although identification to the species level is desirable and mandatory for assessing biological pollution, significant differences among marinas and correlations between fauna and abiotic variables were already detected at the level of family and order. This implies that biota assessment at higher levels may still be useful in monitoring programmes limited by time and budget constraints. The major novelty of this study lies in the development of an integrative assessment method based on the following selected ecological indicators: Marinas Environmental Pollution Index (MEPI), Biocontamination Index (BCI), macrofaunal biotic indices (AMBI, M-AMBI, BENTIX, MEDOCC and BENFES), macrofaunal taxa richness and Shannon-Wiener's diversity, and nematode:copepod index. This approach was able to discriminate marinas of the Southern Iberian Peninsula based on their ecological status, which ranged from poor to good. The method can be useful to design standards for assigning "sustainable quality seals" to those marinas with better values of ecological indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M Guerra-García
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes 6, 41012, Seville, Spain.
| | - Carlos Navarro-Barranco
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes 6, 41012, Seville, Spain
| | - Macarena Ros
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes 6, 41012, Seville, Spain
| | - Francisco Sedano
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes 6, 41012, Seville, Spain
| | - Rafael Espinar
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes 6, 41012, Seville, Spain
| | - Alejandro Fernández-Romero
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes 6, 41012, Seville, Spain
| | - Gemma Martínez-Laiz
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes 6, 41012, Seville, Spain
| | - Jose A Cuesta
- Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (CSIC), Avda. República Saharaui, 2, 11519, Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Giráldez
- Dpto. Química "Prof. J.C. Vilchez Martín", Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales Research Center in Technology of Products and Chemical Processes, Pro(2)TecS Universidad de Huelva, Avda. Fuerzas Armadas, S/n, 21071, Huelva, Spain
| | - Emilio Morales
- Dpto. Química "Prof. J.C. Vilchez Martín", Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales Research Center in Technology of Products and Chemical Processes, Pro(2)TecS Universidad de Huelva, Avda. Fuerzas Armadas, S/n, 21071, Huelva, Spain
| | - Marta Florido
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes 6, 41012, Seville, Spain
| | - Juan Moreira
- Departamento de Biología (Unidad de Zoología) & Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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26
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Vieira DC, Gallucci F, Corte GN, Checon HH, Zacagnini Amaral AC, Fonseca G. The relative contribution of non-selection and selection processes in marine benthic assemblages. Mar Environ Res 2021; 163:105223. [PMID: 33302155 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We tested the hypothesis that the ubiquity of marine meiofaunal nematodes and their indiscriminate passive dispersal create assemblages that are less limited by its environment; whereas the relatively smaller population sizes of macrofauna, associated with their ability to track environmental conditions before settlement, renders their distribution more environmentally-restricted. We compared the empirical distribution of macrofauna and nematode species with that of communities simulated under different assumptions of selection (e.g. environmental filtering) and non-selection (e.g. dispersal limitation) processes. Selection processes were the prime driver of both meio- and macrofauna assemblages, with rare species strongly contributing to this component. The total number of species explained by non-selection processes was 27% higher in nematodes than in macrofauna. Our results underline the importance of a species-level approach to determine the contribution of selection and non-selection assembly processes. Moreover, they highlight the important yet overlooked role of dispersal and stochastic processes in determining species dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Cândido Vieira
- Centro de Estudos Do Mar - Universidade Federal Do Paraná - Caixa Postal 50.002, 83255-000, Pontal Do Paraná, PR, Brazil; Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Av. Dona Ana Costa, 95 - CEP, 11060-001, Santos, SP, Brazil.
| | - Fabiane Gallucci
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Av. Dona Ana Costa, 95 - CEP, 11060-001, Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Nascimento Corte
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Praça Do Oceanográfico, 191, São Paulo, SP - CEP, 05508-120, Brazil; Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Cidade Universitária "Zeferino Vaz", CEP, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil; Escola Do Mar, Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade Do Vale Do Itajaí - Rua Uruguai, 458 - CEP 88, 302-202, Itajaí, SC, Brazil
| | - Helio Herminio Checon
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Praça Do Oceanográfico, 191, São Paulo, SP - CEP, 05508-120, Brazil; Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Cidade Universitária "Zeferino Vaz", CEP, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Antônia Cecília Zacagnini Amaral
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Cidade Universitária "Zeferino Vaz", CEP, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Fonseca
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Av. Dona Ana Costa, 95 - CEP, 11060-001, Santos, SP, Brazil
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27
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Abstract
Miniaturization, which is a common feature in animals, is particularly manifest in meiofauna-animals sharing peculiar phenotypic features that evolved as adaptations to the highly specialized aquatic interstitial habitat. While revealing much about the extreme phyletic diversity of meiofauna, the genome structure of meiofaunal species could also characterize the phenotype of ancestral states as well as explain the origin and evolution of miniaturization. Here, we present a practical bioinformatics tutorial for genome assembly, genome comparison, and characterization of Hox clusters in meiofaunal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph L Sevigny
- Hubbard Center for Genome Studies, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| | - Jon L Norenburg
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Francesca Leasi
- Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN, USA.
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28
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Grzelak K, Gluchowska M, Kędra M, Błażewicz M. Nematode responses to an Arctic sea-ice regime: morphometric characteristics and biomass size spectra. Mar Environ Res 2020; 162:105181. [PMID: 33091683 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Body size is one of the most important traits of organisms that affects their behavioral life histories, physiologies, and energy requirements. For sediment-dwelling organisms, such as free-living nematodes, body size is a direct adaptation for living in sediments with a particular particle size, but other environmental factors, e.g., water depth and food availability, directly or indirectly shape nematode morphology. Nevertheless, our knowledge of meiofaunal organisms sizes still lags far behind that of other aquatic fauna, particularly for high-latitude fauna. Therefore, to gain insight into the nematode community size structure, we investigated eight stations located in the seasonal sea-ice zone north of Svalbard (Yermak Plateau, Nansen Basin, and Northern Svalbard shelf) during Arctic spring. Sample locations covered a wide depth gradient, different sea-ice concentrations and subsequent bloom stages. Our study provides previously unavailable data on nematode morphometry for this Arctic region during ecologically important spring to summer transition times. We analyzed nematode biomass, body shape and morphometric attributes, along with respective feeding types and life stage information. Our results show that differences in nematode densities, biomass and allometric attributes most likely reflect differences in the flux of organic material to the seafloor and in the biogeochemical properties of the sediments. Nematode assemblages appeared to respond to spatial gradients in ice cover duration and therefore pelagic productivity from the northern Svalbard shelf to the Yermak Plateau as evidenced by decreasing density, biomass and body size. Considering the entire community, as well as different life stages, average individual body weight decreased northward. Biomass dominance in the lower weight classes and the significantly lower abundance of long and thick morphotype nematodes observed on the Yermak Plateau than in the two other regions were striking. This was in contrast with the assemblage observed on the shelf, where prevailing environmental conditions influenced the presence of other morphotypes - markedly longer and wider organisms. Ongoing changes in sea-ice cover and primary production in the Arctic may significantly affect nematode functioning, as they are expected to have pronounced impacts on nematode morphological characteristics. In this regard, the size-based approach becomes a useful tool for detecting changes in the community and has important implications for predicting the direction of change with regard to benthic productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marta Gluchowska
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, Poland
| | - Monika Kędra
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, Poland
| | - Magdalena Błażewicz
- University of Łódź, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Laboratory of Polar Biology and Oceanobiology, Łódź, Poland
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29
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Zhao M, Liu Q, Zhang D, Liu Z, Wang C, Liu X. Deep-sea meiofauna assemblages with special reference to marine nematodes in the Caiwei Guyot and a Polymetallic Nodule Field in the Pacific Ocean. Mar Pollut Bull 2020; 160:111564. [PMID: 32810674 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Meiofauna particularly marine nematodes around the Caiwei Guyot in the northwest Pacific Ocean and a Polymetallic Nodule Field in the northeast Pacific Ocean were studied. Due to the geographic structure, the Caiwei Guyot and the Polymetallic Nodule Field had different environmental characteristics. Meiofaunal abundances around the Guyot area ranged from 9.18 to 25.59 ind./10 cm2, which were much lower than those in the Polymetallic Nodule Field. Marine nematode was the most dominant group. A total of 123 species, belonging to 74 genera and 29 families were found. Xyalidae (21.43%), Cyatholaimidae (9.82%), Linhomoeidae (8.03%) were the dominant families. The values of species number, Margalef's species richness and Shannon-Wiener diversity index ranged from 15 to 62, 4.75 to 12.84 and 2.58 to 3.93, respectively. The combination of water depth, silt-clay content and chlorophyll-a concentration can best explain the differences of nematode community. This study provides a baseline for deep-sea meiofauna distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meihong Zhao
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China; Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Qinghe Liu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Hangzhou 310012, China
| | - Dongsheng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Hangzhou 310012, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519080, China
| | - Zhensheng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Hangzhou 310012, China
| | - Chunsheng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, MNR, Hangzhou 310012, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519080, China
| | - Xiaoshou Liu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China; Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
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30
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Gambi C, Canals M, Corinaldesi C, Dell'Anno A, Manea E, Pusceddu A, Sanchez-Vidal A, Danovaro R. Impact of historical sulfide mine tailings discharge on meiofaunal assemblages (Portmán Bay, Mediterranean Sea). Sci Total Environ 2020; 736:139641. [PMID: 32474268 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Portmán Bay is one of the most contaminated and chronically impacted coastal marine areas of the world. Here, from the 1957 to 1990, about 60 million tons of mine tailings from the processing of sulfide ores were dumped directly at the shoreline. The resulting deposit provides a unique opportunity to assess the impact of mine tailings on coastal marine ecosystems after ca 30 years since the discharge has ceased. We investigated meiofaunal abundance, biomass and biodiversity along a gradient of metal concentration that overlaps with a bathymetric gradient from 30 to 60 m depth. Despite the localized presence of extremely high concentration of metals, the bay was not a biological desert, but, nevertheless, was characterized by evident signs of impact on benthic diversity. Meiofaunal variables increased significantly with decreasing metal contamination, eventually reaching values comparable to other uncontaminated coastal sediments. Our results show that mine tailings influenced the spatial distribution of meiofaunal taxa and nematode species composition. In particular, we report here that the bay was characterized by the dominance of nematode opportunistic species tolerant to high metal concentration. The effects of mine tailing discharge on meiofaunal biodiversity and composition were still evident ca 30 years after the end of the mining activities. Overall, this study provides new insights on the potential impact of mine tailings disposal and metal contamination in coastal sediments, and, can also contribute to predict the potential long-term consequences of ever-expanding deep-sea mining industry on benthic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Gambi
- Università Politecnica delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, 60131 Ancona, Italy.
| | - Miquel Canals
- University of Barcelona, CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cinzia Corinaldesi
- Università Politecnica delle Marche, Scienze e Ingegneria della Materia, dell'Ambiente ed Urbanistica, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Antonio Dell'Anno
- Università Politecnica delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Manea
- Istituto di Scienze Marine, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR-ISMAR, Tesa 104 - Arsenale, Castello 2737/F, 30122 Venice, Italy
| | - Antonio Pusceddu
- Università di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Anna Sanchez-Vidal
- University of Barcelona, CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roberto Danovaro
- Università Politecnica delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, 60131 Ancona, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Napoli, Italy
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Sedano F, Navarro-Barranco C, Guerra-García JM, Espinosa F. Understanding the effects of coastal defence structures on marine biota: The role of substrate composition and roughness in structuring sessile, macro- and meiofaunal communities. Mar Pollut Bull 2020; 157:111334. [PMID: 32658698 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The increasing deployment of artificial structures into the marine environment is creating new hard substrates that differ from natural ones in physical and biological aspects. However, studies of macrofaunal and meiofaunal communities associated with artificial structures are very limited. Seawalls, cubes, acropods and rip-raps in Algeciras Bay (southern Spain) were each compared with the nearest natural hard substrate and their community structure was related to substrate roughness, composition, carbonates content, crystallinity and age, using db-RDA. The results showed clear differences between substrates for the three community levels (sessile, macro- and meiofauna). Overall, rip-raps were the most similar to natural substrates. Under similar environmental conditions, substrate roughness, composition (only for sessile) and age of the structures seemed to play important roles in structuring those communities. They especially affected the sessile community, initiating strong cascading effects that were detectable at high taxonomic level in the associated fauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Sedano
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.
| | - C Navarro-Barranco
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
| | - J M Guerra-García
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
| | - F Espinosa
- Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
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Denis-Roy L, Ling SD, Fraser KM, Edgar GJ. Relationships between invertebrate benthos, environmental drivers and pollutants at a subcontinental scale. Mar Pollut Bull 2020; 157:111316. [PMID: 32658681 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Marine ecosystems are structured by an array of natural and anthropogenic drivers, their diverse influences varying between different community types and across space. We assessed consistency in variation in composition and richness for three communities (macro- and meio-faunal communities associated with macroalgae, and soft-sediment infaunal communities) across natural and pollution gradients at the subcontinental scale of southeastern Australia. Community structure varied with natural environmental factors (temperature, wave exposure) and, to a lesser extent, pollutant loads (catchment effects, heavy metals, hydrocarbons and nutrients) across 43 sites spanning 2700 km. The community types showed differing sensitivities to pollutants: algal macrofauna was most strongly associated with hydrocarbon pollution and nutrient loading; algal meiofauna with heavy metals and nutrients; and infauna with catchment effects and nutrients. Different taxonomic resolutions were needed to detect significant pollution relationships for the three community types, indicating that monitoring programmes are most effective if pollutant- and fauna-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Denis-Roy
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 15-21 Nubeena Cres, Taroona, Tasmania 7053, Australia; Marine Environment and Resources MSc (University of the Basque country, University of Southampton, University of Liège and University of Bordeaux), Plentzia Marine Station (PiE-UPV/EHU) Areatza Pasealekua, 48620 Plentzia, Spain.
| | - Scott D Ling
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 15-21 Nubeena Cres, Taroona, Tasmania 7053, Australia
| | - Kate M Fraser
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 15-21 Nubeena Cres, Taroona, Tasmania 7053, Australia
| | - Graham J Edgar
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 15-21 Nubeena Cres, Taroona, Tasmania 7053, Australia
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Schratzberger M, Somerfield PJ. Effects of widespread human disturbances in the marine environment suggest a new agenda for meiofauna research is needed. Sci Total Environ 2020; 728:138435. [PMID: 32570325 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The response of an ecological community to a disturbance event, and its capacity to recover, are of major interest to ecologists, especially at a time of increasing frequencies and intensities of environmental change brought about by humans. Meiofauna, a group of small-sized organisms, are an abundant and ubiquitous component of seafloor communities that respond rapidly to environmental change. We summarise the available research on the response of metazoan meiofauna to the most widespread anthropogenic disturbances in the marine environment, including bottom fishing, the introduction of invasive species and anthropogenic climate change. We show that disturbance effects on habitats interact critically with effects on resident meiofauna species. Their responses are consistent with competitive replacement, where disparate disturbance effects on competing species drive shifts in dominance and intra- and interspecific interactions. The widespread replacement of habitat-specific ecological specialists by broadly-adapted ecological generalists and opportunists results in biotic and functional homogenisation of once disparate biotas. Anthropogenic disturbances may facilitate novel interactions among meiofauna species, and between meiofauna and other benthic organisms, but the number and breadth of these interactions is likely to be limited. Knowledge about the dependence of meiofauna species on their environment and on other benthic species has been growing. Future studies will be most meaningful if this knowledge is expanded alongside understanding the potential of locally adapted species to respond to shifts in environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Schratzberger
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, United Kingdom; Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
| | - Paul J Somerfield
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth PL1 3DH, United Kingdom
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Bonaglia S, Hedberg J, Marzocchi U, Iburg S, Glud RN, Nascimento FJA. Meiofauna improve oxygenation and accelerate sulfide removal in the seasonally hypoxic seabed. Mar Environ Res 2020; 159:104968. [PMID: 32662428 PMCID: PMC7369627 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.104968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 03/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Oxygen depleted areas are widespread in the marine realm. Unlike macrofauna, meiofauna are abundant in hypoxic sediments. We studied to what extent meiofauna affect oxygen availability, sulfide removal and microbial communities. Meiofauna were extracted alive and added to intact sediments simulating abundance gradients previously reported in the area. A total of 324 porewater microprofiles were recorded over a 3-week incubation period and microbial community structure and cable bacteria densities were determined at the end of the experiment. At high abundances meiofauna activity deepened oxygen penetration by 85%, 59%, and 62% after 5, 14, and 22 days, respectively, compared to control sediment with scarce meiofauna. After 6 days, meiofauna increased the volume of oxidized, sulfide-free sediment by 68% and reduced sulfide fluxes from 8.8 to 0.4 mmol m-2 d-1. After 15 days, the difference with the control attenuated due to the presence of a cable bacteria population, which facilitated sulfides oxidation in all treatments. 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed that meiofauna affected microbial community structure (beta diversity). Thus, meiofauna bioturbation plays an important role in deepening oxygen penetration, counteracting euxinia and in structuring microbial diversity of hypoxic sediments. Co-existence with cable bacteria demonstrates neutralism interaction between these two ecosystem engineers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Bonaglia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Nordcee, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.
| | - Johanna Hedberg
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ugo Marzocchi
- Department of Biosciences, Center for Electromicrobiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Sven Iburg
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ronnie N Glud
- Nordcee, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark; Department of Ocean and Environmental Sciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
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Baldrighi E, Zeppilli D, Appolloni L, Donnarumma L, Chianese E, Russo GF, Sandulli R. Meiofaunal communities and nematode diversity characterizing the Secca delle Fumose shallow vent area (Gulf of Naples, Italy). PeerJ 2020; 8:e9058. [PMID: 32523806 PMCID: PMC7263297 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrothermal venting is rather prevalent in many marine areas around the world, and marine shallow vents are relatively abundant in the Mediterranean Sea, especially around Italy. However, investigations focusing on the characterization of meiofaunal organisms inhabiting shallow vent sediments are still scant compared to that on macrofauna. In the present study, we investigated the meiobenthic assemblages and nematode diversity inhabiting the Secca delle Fumose (SdF), a shallow water vent area located in the Gulf of Naples (Italy). In this area, characterized by a rapid change in the environmental conditions on a relative small spatial scale (i.e., 100 m), we selected four sampling sites: one diffusive emission site (H); one geyser site (G) and two inactive sites (CN, CS). Total meiofauna abundance did not vary significantly between active and inactive sites and between surface and deeper sediment layers due to a high inter-replicate variability, suggesting a pronounced spatial-scale patchiness in distribution of meiofauna. Nematofauna at site H presented the typical features of deep-sea vents with low structural and functional diversity, high biomass and dominance of few genera (i.e., Oncholaimus; Daptonema) while from site G we reported diversity values comparable to that of the inactive sites. We hypothesized that site G presented a condition of “intermediate disturbance” that could maintain a high nematode diversity. Environmental features such as sediment temperature, pH, total organic carbon and interstitial waters ions were found to be key factors influencing patterns of meiofauna and nematofauna assemblages at SdF. Even though the general theory is that nematodes inhabiting shallow vent areas include a subset of species that live in background sediments, this was not the case for SdF vent area. Due to a marked change in nematode composition between all sites and to the presence of many exclusive species, every single investigated site was characterized by a distinct nematofauna reflecting the high spatial heterogeneity of SdF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Baldrighi
- Istituto per le Risorse Biologiche e le Biotecnologie Marine (IRBIM), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Lesina, Italy.,Laboratoire Environnement Profond, Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la MER (IFREMER), Plouzané, France
| | - Daniela Zeppilli
- Laboratoire Environnement Profond, Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la MER (IFREMER), Plouzané, France
| | - Luca Appolloni
- Department of Science and Technology (DiST), Parthenope University of Naples, Naples, Italy.,Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), Rome, Italy
| | - Luigia Donnarumma
- Department of Science and Technology (DiST), Parthenope University of Naples, Naples, Italy.,Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Chianese
- Department of Science and Technology (DiST), Parthenope University of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanni Fulvio Russo
- Department of Science and Technology (DiST), Parthenope University of Naples, Naples, Italy.,Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Sandulli
- Department of Science and Technology (DiST), Parthenope University of Naples, Naples, Italy.,Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), Rome, Italy
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36
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Jeong R, Tchesunov AV, Lee W. Two species of Thoracostomopsidae (Nematoda: Enoplida) from Jeju Island, South Korea. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9037. [PMID: 32377453 PMCID: PMC7194091 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
During a survey of intertidal zones at beaches on Jeju Island, two species belonging to the family Thoracostomopsidae were discovered. One new species, Enoploides koreanus sp. nov. and one known species, Epacanthion hirsutumShi & Xu, 2016 are reported. Along with morphological analysis, mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 (mtCOI) sequences and 18S rRNA sequences of the species were also obtained and used to check relative p-distance and phylogenetic positions. While most species of Enoploides have long spicules, the new species belongs to a group of Enoploides with short spicules < 150 µm). Of the seven species with short spicules, the new species is most closely related to E. disparilisSergeeva, 1974. They both have similar body length, fairly similar sized and shaped spicules with small gubernaculum running parallel to distal end of spicule, and an index value of b. The new species can be distinguished from E. disparilis by having pre-anal supplementary organ with short conical tail, while E. disparilis lacks pre-anal supplementary organ and has a long conico-cylindrical tail. Along with the description of the new species, the genus EnoploidesSsaweljev, 1912 is bibliographically reviewed and revised. Of 45 species described to date, 27 are now considered valid, 16 species inquirendae due to inadequate descriptions and ambiguity of the material examined, along with two cases of nomen nudum. With this review, we provide an updated diagnosis and list of valid species, a tabular key comparing diagnostic characters of all valid species, and a new complete key to species. One known species, Epacanthion hirsutumShi & Xu, 2016, is reported in Korea for the first time. The morphology agrees well with the original description provided by Shi & Xu, 2016. As they had already reviewed the genus at the time of reporting four Epacanthion species, we provide only a description, depiction, and measurements for comparison purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raehyuk Jeong
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Alexei V Tchesunov
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Wonchoel Lee
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
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Jeong R, Tchesunov AV, Lee W. Bibliographic revision of Mesacanthion Filipjev, 1927 (Nematoda: Thoracostomopsidae) with description of a new species from Jeju Island, South Korea. PeerJ 2019; 7:e8023. [PMID: 31763070 PMCID: PMC6870531 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
A new species of the genus Mesacanthion Filipjev, 1927 was discovered during a survey of natural beaches of Jeju Island in South Korea. The new species Mesacanthion jejuensissp. nov. shares general morphology of the genus such as the outer labial and cephalic setae being situated at the middle of cephalic capsule, well-developed mandibles with two columns united by a curved bar, and three equally sized and shaped teeth shorter than the mandibles. The new species belongs to a group of Mesacanthion species in which spicules are shorter than two anal body diameters. The new species is most closely related to M. pannosum, first discovered in Puget Sound, Washington, in terms of having enlarged cervical setae flap at the end of cephalic capsule, spicules which are shorter than 2 anal body diameter, both supplementary organ and gubernaculum. It can be distinguished from M. pannosum by its stronger inner labial setae, longer outer labial setae, and difference in the index value of b and c’. Along with the description of Mesacanthion jejuensissp. nov., the genus Mesacanthion Filipjev, 1927 is bibliographically reviewed and revised. Including the new species, a total of 48 species are described within the genus; 39 which are valid; eight which are considered to be species inquirenda due to misplacement of genus and poor description; one which is considered nomen nudum. An updated diagnosis of the genus is provided along with a compiled tabular key comparing different diagnostic morphological characters of all valid species, as well as a pictorial key consisting of 21 species with spicules shorter than two anal body diameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raehyuk Jeong
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Alexei V Tchesunov
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Wonchoel Lee
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
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Bernardino AF, Pais FS, Oliveira LS, Gabriel FA, Ferreira TO, Queiroz HM, Mazzuco ACA. Chronic trace metals effects of mine tailings on estuarine assemblages revealed by environmental DNA. PeerJ 2019; 7:e8042. [PMID: 31720128 PMCID: PMC6842558 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mine tailing disasters have occurred worldwide and contemporary release of tailings of large proportions raise concerns of the chronic impacts that trace metals may have on the aquatic biodiversity. Environmental metabarcoding (eDNA) offers an as yet poorly explored opportunity for biological monitoring of impacted aquatic ecosystems from mine tailings and contaminated sediments. eDNA has been increasingly recognized to be an effective method to detect previously unrecognized small-sized Metazoan taxa, but their ecological responses to environmental pollution has not been assessed by metabarcoding. Here, we evaluated chronic effects of trace metal contamination from sediment eDNA of the Rio Doce estuary, 1.7 years after the Samarco mine tailing disaster, which released over 40 million m3 of iron tailings in the Rio Doce river basin. We identified 123 new sequence variants environmental taxonomic units (eOTUs) of benthic taxa and an assemblage composition dominated by Nematoda, Crustacea and Platyhelminthes; typical of other estuarine ecosystems. We detected environmental filtering on the meiofaunal assemblages and multivariate analysis revealed strong influence of Fe contamination, supporting chronic impacts from mine tailing deposition in the estuary. This was in contrast to environmental filtering of meiofaunal assemblages of non-polluted estuaries. Here, we suggest that the eDNA metabarcoding technique provides an opportunity to fill up biodiversity gaps in coastal marine ecology and may become a valid method for long term monitoring studies in mine tailing disasters and estuarine ecosystems with high trace metals content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo F Bernardino
- Grupo de Ecologia Bentônica, Department of Oceanography, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil
| | - Fabiano S Pais
- Instituto René Rachou, FIOCRUZ/Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Louisi S Oliveira
- Grupo de Ecologia Bentônica, Department of Oceanography, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil
| | - Fabricio A Gabriel
- Grupo de Ecologia Bentônica, Department of Oceanography, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil
| | - Tiago O Ferreira
- Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Hermano M Queiroz
- Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina A Mazzuco
- Grupo de Ecologia Bentônica, Department of Oceanography, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil
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Baldrighi E, Semprucci F, Franzo A, Cvitkovic I, Bogner D, Despalatovic M, Berto D, Formalewicz MM, Scarpato A, Frapiccini E, Marini M, Grego M. Meiofaunal communities in four Adriatic ports: Baseline data for risk assessment in ballast water management. Mar Pollut Bull 2019; 147:171-184. [PMID: 29960722 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.06.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Ports receive a variety of contaminants related to a wide range of anthropogenic activities - including ship ballast water (BW) - that ultimately find their way to sediments. Benthic meiofauna from four Adriatic ports (Ancona, Trieste, Koper, and Split) was assessed for the main environmental pollutants, to evaluate the effects of human activities on meiobenthos and identify the most appropriate descriptor to assess the ecological quality of marine ecosystems. Sediment analysis demonstrated that Trieste and Split were the most contaminated ports, followed by Koper and Ancona. All meiofaunal parameters showed high spatial and temporal variability, in line with the marked heterogeneity of the four ports. Sand, total organic carbon, and pollutants seemed to be the variables that best explained meiofaunal patterns. Community structure and rare taxa were the meiofaunal descriptors that reflected the environmental status and biological response most accurately. The present data suggest that meiofauna can be used to assess the biological impact of BW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Baldrighi
- IFREMER, Centre Brest, REM/EEP/LEP, ZI de la Pointe du Diable, CS10070, 29280 Plouzané, France; Institute of Marine Sciences (CNR-ISMAR), National Research Council, Largo Fiera della Pesca 2, Ancona, Italy
| | - Federica Semprucci
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Campus Scientifico "E. Mattei", Via Ca' Le Suore 2, 61029 Urbino, Italy.
| | - Annalisa Franzo
- Oceanography Section, Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale, OGS I-34151 Trieste, Italy
| | - Ivan Cvitkovic
- Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, I. Meštrovića 63, 21000 Split, Croatia
| | - Danijela Bogner
- Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, I. Meštrovića 63, 21000 Split, Croatia
| | - Marija Despalatovic
- Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, I. Meštrovića 63, 21000 Split, Croatia
| | - Daniela Berto
- National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Chioggia, Italy
| | | | - Alfonso Scarpato
- National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Roma, Italy
| | - Emanuela Frapiccini
- Institute of Marine Sciences (CNR-ISMAR), National Research Council, Largo Fiera della Pesca 2, Ancona, Italy
| | - Mauro Marini
- Institute of Marine Sciences (CNR-ISMAR), National Research Council, Largo Fiera della Pesca 2, Ancona, Italy
| | - Mateja Grego
- National Institute of Biology, Marine Biology Station Piran, Fornace 41, SI-6330 Piran, Slovenia
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Gąsiorowski L, Furu A, Hejnol A. Morphology of the nervous system of monogonont rotifer Epiphanes senta with a focus on sexual dimorphism between feeding females and dwarf males. Front Zool 2019; 16:33. [PMID: 31406495 PMCID: PMC6686465 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-019-0334-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Monogononta is a large clade of rotifers comprised of diverse morphological forms found in a wide range of ecological habitats. Most monogonont species display cyclical parthenogenesis, where generations of asexually reproducing females are interspaced by mixis events when sexual reproduction occurs between mictic females and dwarf, haploid males. The morphology of monogonont feeding females is relatively well described, however data on male anatomy are very limited. Thus far, male musculature of only two species has been described with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and it remains unknown how dwarfism influences the neuroanatomy of males on detailed level. Results Here, we provide a CLSM-based description of the nervous system of both sexes of Epiphanes senta, a freshwater monogonont rotifer. The general nervous system architecture is similar between males and females and shows a similar level of complexity. However, the nervous system in males is more compact and lacks a stomatogastric part. Conclusion Comparison of the neuroanatomy between male and normal-sized feeding females provides a better understanding of the nature of male dwarfism in Monogononta. We propose that dwarfism of monogonont non-feeding males is the result of a specific case of heterochrony, called “proportional dwarfism” as they, due to their inability to feed, retain a juvenile body size, but still develop a complex neural architecture comparable to adult females. Reduction of the stomatogastric nervous system in the males correlates with the loss of the entire digestive tract and associated morphological structures. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12983-019-0334-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludwik Gąsiorowski
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlens Gate 55, N-5006 Bergen, Norway
| | - Anlaug Furu
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlens Gate 55, N-5006 Bergen, Norway
| | - Andreas Hejnol
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlens Gate 55, N-5006 Bergen, Norway
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van Eenennaam JS, Rohal M, Montagna PA, Radović JR, Oldenburg TBP, Romero IC, Murk AJ, Foekema EM. Ecotoxicological benthic impacts of experimental oil-contaminated marine snow deposition. Mar Pollut Bull 2019; 141:164-175. [PMID: 30955722 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Marine Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation (MOSSFA) can pose serious threats to the marine benthic ecosystem as it results in a deposition of oil contaminated marine snow on the sediment surface. In a microcosm experiment we investigated the effects of oil in combination with artificial marine snow or kaolin clay on two benthic invertebrate species and benthic meiofauna. The amphipod showed a dose-dependent decrease in survival for both oil-contaminated clay and oil-contaminated marine snow. The gastropod was only affected by the highest concentration of oil-contaminated marine snow and had internal concentrations of PAHs with a similar distribution as oil-contaminated marine snow. Benthic copepods showed higher survival in presence of marine snow. This study revealed that marine snow on the sediment after oil spills affects organisms in a trait-dependent way and that it can be a vector for introducing oil into the food web.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine S van Eenennaam
- Sub-department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Melissa Rohal
- Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Unit 5869, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA
| | - Paul A Montagna
- Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Unit 5869, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA
| | - Jagoš R Radović
- PRG, Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, T2N 1N4 Calgary, Canada
| | - Thomas B P Oldenburg
- PRG, Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, T2N 1N4 Calgary, Canada
| | - Isabel C Romero
- University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, 140 7th Ave S., St Petersburg, FL 33701, USA
| | - AlberTinka J Murk
- Marine Animal Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Edwin M Foekema
- Marine Animal Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands; Wageningen Marine Research, P.O. Box 57, 1780 AB Den Helder, The Netherlands.
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Yang X, Lin C, Song X, Xu M, Yang H. Effects of artificial reefs on the meiofaunal community and benthic environment - A case study in Bohai Sea, China. Mar Pollut Bull 2019; 140:179-187. [PMID: 30803633 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Artificial reefs are widely deployed for fishery enhancement and marine conservation. A comprehensive assessment on the effects of artificial reefs could minimize the negative consequence of blindly developing artificial reefs. We examined the meiofaunal community and benthic environment adjacent to and <5 m from artificial reefs in Xiangyun Bay, Bohai Sea, China. We found the highest total meiofaunal abundance beside the artificial reef. Shannon-Wiener and Pielou indexes had no significant difference among different distances from the artificial reefs. The presence of artificial reefs impeded the surrounding flow and provided additional substrate for bivalves and kelps, which could cause finer sediment and organic enrichment around it. Sediment grain size and total organic matter were the most important parameters influencing the meiofauna. We suggest that the shape, material, configuration and location of artificial reefs should be related with a specific goal to avoid mindless proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyuan Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Chenggang Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
| | - Xiaoyue Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Min Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Hongsheng Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
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Abstract
Given their dormancy capability (long-term resistant stages) and their ability to colonise and reproduce, microscopic aquatic animals have been suggested having cosmopolitan distribution. Their dormant stages may be continuously moved by mobile elements through the entire planet to any suitable habitat, preventing the formation of biogeographical patterns. In this review, I will go through the evidence we have on the most common microscopic aquatic animals, namely nematodes, rotifers, and tardigrades, for each of the assumptions allowing long-distance dispersal (dormancy, viability, and reproduction) and all the evidence we have for transportation, directly from surveys of dispersing stages, and indirectly from the outcome of successful dispersal in biogeographical and phylogeographical studies. The current knowledge reveals biogeographical patterns also for microscopic organisms, with species-specific differences in ecological features that make some taxa indeed cosmopolitan with the potential for long-distance dispersal, but others with restricted geographic distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Fontaneto
- National Research Council of Italy, Water Research Institute, Largo Tonolli 50, 28922 Verbania Pallanza, Italy
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Losi V, Sbrocca C, Gatti G, Semprucci F, Rocchi M, Bianchi CN, Balsamo M. Sessile macrobenthos (Ochrophyta) drives seasonal change of meiofaunal community structure on temperate rocky reefs. Mar Environ Res 2018; 142:295-305. [PMID: 30409384 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Unlike the soft bottom meiofauna, meiofauna associated to hard substrata is poorly studied, despite its ecological relevance. Since communities of hard substrata are usually characterized by species with different life cycles and strategies from those of soft bottom assemblages, information on hard substrata meiofauna is still needed. In this study, sessile macrobenthos and the associated meiofaunal assemblages of two sites of Portofino (NW Mediterranean) were investigated in two seasons at three different depths on both sub-vertical and inclined reefs. The study aimed to assess the abundance, diversity and composition of the meiofauna and the factors structuring its assemblages. Moreover, as meiofauna is known to be dependent upon the substrate characteristics, the study investigated whether the meiofaunal patterns could be related to the sessile macrobenthos structure and composition, and to which extent. Macroalgae dominated the sessile macrobenthic assemblages, while Nematoda and Copepoda were the main meiofaunal groups. Meiofaunal higher-taxa richness and diversity resulted very high, due to the large number of different microhabitats offered by macroalgae. Macrobenthic assemblages were dominated by Rodophyta and Ochrophyta in summer, the latter dramatically collapsing in winter. The meiofaunal abundance and composition changed significantly with the season, consistently with the sessile macrobenthic assemblages, and resulted strongly correlated with Ochrophyta. Shaping the meiofaunal assemblages, macroalgae appeared to act as ecosystem engineer for the meiofauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Losi
- Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - C Sbrocca
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences (DiSB), University of Urbino, 61029 Urbino, Italy
| | - G Gatti
- Mediterranean Institute of Marine and Continental Biodiversity and Ecology (IMBE), CNRS, Station Marine D'Endoume, Chemin de la Batterie des Lions, 13007 Marseille, France
| | - F Semprucci
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences (DiSB), University of Urbino, 61029 Urbino, Italy.
| | - M Rocchi
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences (DiSB), University of Urbino, 61029 Urbino, Italy
| | - C N Bianchi
- Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - M Balsamo
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences (DiSB), University of Urbino, 61029 Urbino, Italy
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Liu X, Liu Q, Zhang Y, Hua E, Zhang Z. Effects of Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass on marine nematodes based on biological trait analysis. Mar Environ Res 2018; 141:167-185. [PMID: 30193934 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) is a seasonal hydrological phenomenon with significant effects on benthic animals. Based on a range of biological traits, including feeding type, tail shape, adult body length, body shape and life history (c-p value), the biological trait analysis (BTA) of marine nematodes in the southern Yellow Sea was studied in June 2003 (summer) and January 2004 (winter) in order to reveal the effects of YSCWM on benthic animals. In terms of biological traits composition of marine nematode assemblages, results of ANOSIM showed that there were no significant differences among sites inside the YSCMW area. However, for spatial distribution, marine nematode assemblages showed significant differences between sites inside and outside of the YSCWM area in terms of body shape, as there was higher percentage of nematodes with slender body shape while lower percentage with stout and long thin body shape at the sites inside the YSCWM area. Results of BIOENV analysis showed that water depth and sediment silt-clay percentage were the most important factors contributed to the differences of biological traits of marine nematode assemblages in summer, while sediment phaeophorbide content best explained the differences of marine nematode assemblages in winter. The existence of the YSCWM may provide a stable environment for marine nematode assemblages, keeping them in a continuous state during the seasonal changes. The higher percentage of nematodes with slender body may be the response to the YSCWM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoshou Liu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
| | - Qinghe Liu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- College of Resources and Environment, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, China
| | - Er Hua
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Zhinan Zhang
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
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Sørensen MV, Grzelak K. New mud dragons from Svalbard: three new species of Cristaphyes and the first Arctic species of Pycnophyes (Kinorhyncha: Allomalorhagida: Pycnophyidae). PeerJ 2018; 6:e5653. [PMID: 30280030 PMCID: PMC6166639 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Kinorhynchs are marine, microscopic invertebrates inhabiting the seafloors. Their segmented trunk equipped with spines and processes has inspired scientists to give them the common name "mud dragons." Even though kinorhynchs have been known since the 19th century, less than 300 species are known to science, and it is still considered a largely understudied animal group-in particular in the Arctic, from which only 23 species are known so far. METHODS Samples were collected at eight stations around Svalbard and in the fjords of Spitsbergen. Meiofauna was extracted from the sediment cores with LUDOX centrifugation method, and kinorhynchs were picked up and mounted for light- and scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS Four new species of the kinorhynch family Pycnophyidae are described from Svalbard: Cristaphyes dordaidelosensis sp. nov., C. glaurung sp. nov., C. scatha sp. nov., and Pycnophyes ancalagon sp. nov. The new species are generally recognized by their distribution of setae along the trunk segments. DISCUSSION After the discovery of the new species, Pycnophyidae becomes with 14 species the most diverse kinorhynch genus in the Arctic, closely followed by Echinoderidae with 13 species. So far, these are the only kinorhynch families with an Arctic distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katarzyna Grzelak
- Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Laboratory of Polar Biology and Oceanobiology, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
- Department of Marine Ecology, Institute of Oceanology PAN, Sopot, Poland
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D'Hondt AS, Stock W, Blommaert L, Moens T, Sabbe K. Nematodes stimulate biomass accumulation in a multispecies diatom biofilm. Mar Environ Res 2018; 140:78-89. [PMID: 29891387 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
While the effects of abiotic parameters on microbial tidal biofilms are relatively well-documented, the effects of grazing and/or bioturbation by meiofauna are poorly understood. We investigated the impact of a natural nematode assemblage on the biomass and microbial community structure of a multispecies diatom biofilm. Nematodes stimulated diatom biomass accumulation of the biofilm and caused a shift in diatom community structure. Higher diatom biomass accumulation in the presence of nematodes could be the result of increased diatom biomass production through nutrient regeneration resulting from grazing or bioturbation, and/or through shifts in interspecific interactions between diatoms (e.g. competition) through selective grazing. Alternatively, lower biomass in the controls may be due to higher secretion of diatom production in the form of bound extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Our observations underscore that meiobenthos, and especially nematodes, are important for the structure and production of tidal biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- An-Sofie D'Hondt
- Department of Biology, Marine Biology Lab, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biology, Protistology and Aquatic Ecology Research Group, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Willem Stock
- Department of Biology, Protistology and Aquatic Ecology Research Group, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Lander Blommaert
- Department of Biology, Protistology and Aquatic Ecology Research Group, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tom Moens
- Department of Biology, Marine Biology Lab, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Koen Sabbe
- Department of Biology, Protistology and Aquatic Ecology Research Group, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
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Frontalini F, Semprucci F, Di Bella L, Caruso A, Cosentino C, Maccotta A, Scopelliti G, Sbrocca C, Bucci C, Balsamo M, Martins MV, Armynot du Châtelet E, Coccioni R. The response of cultured meiofaunal and benthic foraminiferal communities to lead exposure: Results from mesocosm experiments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018; 37:2439-2447. [PMID: 29920754 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Lead (Pb) is regarded as a highly toxic element that poses a serious threat to biota. A mesocosm experiment was performed to assess the influence of Pb on meiofaunal (metazoans within 45-500 μm) and benthic foraminiferal (protozoan) communities. To this end, sediments bearing such communities were incubated in mesocosms, exposed to different levels of Pb in seawater, and monitored for up to 8 wk. Concentrations of Pb <1 ppm in water did not promote a significant increase of this metal in sediments. Relatively high concentrations of Pb seemed to affect meiofaunal and benthic foraminiferal communities by reducing their richness or diversity, and the abundance of the most sensitive taxa. The mesocosm approach can be considered an effective method to document the responses of meiofaunal and benthic foraminiferal communities to various kinds and concentrations of pollutants over time. This approach allows the evaluation of dose-response relationships, validates the outcomes of field studies, and possibly confirms the sediment quality guidelines and thresholds. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2439-2447. © 2018 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Frontalini
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy
| | - Federica Semprucci
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy
| | - Letizia Di Bella
- Department of Earth Science, Rome University Sapienza, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonio Caruso
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Claudia Cosentino
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonella Maccotta
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giovanna Scopelliti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Claudia Sbrocca
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy
| | - Carla Bucci
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy
| | - Maria Balsamo
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy
| | - Maria Virginia Martins
- Laboratory of Micropaleontology, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- GeoBioTec, Departamento de Geociências, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Eric Armynot du Châtelet
- Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Université Littoral Côte d'Opale, Université de Lille, Conseil National de la Recherche Scientifique, Lille, France
| | - Rodolfo Coccioni
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy
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Rzeznik-Orignac J, Puisay A, Derelle E, Peru E, Le Bris N, Galand PE. Co-occurring nematodes and bacteria in submarine canyon sediments. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5396. [PMID: 30083476 PMCID: PMC6074754 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In submarine canyon sediments, bacteria and nematodes dominate the benthic biomass and play a key role in nutrient cycling and energy transfer. The diversity of these communities remains, however, poorly studied. This work aims at describing the composition of bacteria and nematode communities in the Lacaze-Duthiers submarine canyon in the north-western Mediterranean Sea. We targeted three sediment depths for two consecutive years and investigated the communities using nuclear markers (18S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes). High throughput sequencing combined to maximal information coefficient (MIC) statistical analysis allowed us to identify, for the first time, at the same small scale, the community structures and the co-occurrence of nematodes and bacteria Operational Taxonomic Units across the sediment cores. The associations detected by MIC revealed marked patterns of co-occurrences between the bacteria and nematodes in the sediment of the canyon and could be linked to the ecological requirements of individual bacteria and nematodes. For the bacterial community, Delta- and Gammaproteobacteria sequences were the most abundant, as seen in some canyons earlier, although Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Planctomycetes have been prevalent in other canyon sediments. The 20 identified nematode genera included bacteria feeders as Terschellingia, Eubostrichus, Geomonhystera, Desmoscolex and Leptolaimus. The present study provides new data on the diversity of bacterial and nematodes communities in the Lacaze-Duthiers canyon and further highlights the importance of small-scale sampling for an accurate vision of deep-sea communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jadwiga Rzeznik-Orignac
- Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Antoine Puisay
- Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France.,Criobe, Laboratoire d'Excellence "Corail", PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, Papetoai, French Polynesia
| | - Evelyne Derelle
- Laboratoire de Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France.,LEMAR UMR 6539 CNRS/UBO/IRD/Ifremer, IUEM, Plouzané, France
| | - Erwan Peru
- Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Nadine Le Bris
- Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Pierre E Galand
- Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
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Semprucci F, Frontalini F, Losi V, Armynot du Châtelet E, Cesaroni L, Sandulli R, Coccioni R, Balsamo M. Biodiversity and distribution of the meiofaunal community in the reef slopes of the Maldivian archipelago (Indian Ocean). Mar Environ Res 2018; 139:19-26. [PMID: 29753494 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Marine biologists have progressively increased their consciousness of the importance of meiofauna for the benthic domain in both temperate and tropical regions. After the 1998 bleaching, Maldivian reefs (Indian Ocean) have been regarded as a vulnerable ecosystem that must be carefully monitored. Accordingly, an extensive investigation of meiofaunal distribution in the reef slopes of the Maldivian archipelago has been carried out, taking into account geographical position, type of habitat (inner vs. outer slope), inclination and depth gradient. Twenty-four taxa revealed the highest meiofaunal richness ever found in Maldivian reefs. Interestingly, Thermosbenacea and Syncarida were identified, which are two taxa that have only recently been documented in the marine ecosystem. Chaetognatha were also present, which is a group that was only considered to be planktonic until 2000, when they were also discovered in the benthos. The type of habitat, affected by different hydrodynamic conditions, was the main factor influencing the meiofaunal community's structure and diversity. In detail, the outer reefs were characterized by the highest level of diversity, confirming previous observations on the rate of coral reef growth and vitality and underlining the greater vulnerability of the inner slopes. In contrast, depth only significantly affected the community structure, but not its density or diversity. Accordingly, community structure seems to be more sensitive than abundance and diversity indices when it comes to detecting depth gradients. The 10° inclination of the inner slopes revealed the most different community structure and the greatest dominance of nematodes, leading to the lowest diversity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Semprucci
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences (DiSB), University of Urbino, Italy.
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences (DiSPeA), University of Urbino, Italy
| | - Valentina Losi
- Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Eric Armynot du Châtelet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 59000, Lille, France
| | - Lucia Cesaroni
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences (DiSB), University of Urbino, Italy
| | - Roberto Sandulli
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie (DiST), CoNISMa, University of Napoli "Parthenope", Napoli, Italy
| | - Rodolfo Coccioni
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences (DiSPeA), University of Urbino, Italy
| | - Maria Balsamo
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences (DiSB), University of Urbino, Italy
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