Behavior Patterns of the Aplysiid Gastropod Bursatella leachii in Its Natural Habitat and in the Laboratory

Ramos, Luana; Rocafort, J.L.L.

doi:10.1006/nlme.1995.1029

Cited by 20 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Although Aplysia is generally classified as a ''browser,'' it has been known for some time that specimens will exhibit grazing behavior (i.e., biting against the substrate while locomoting) depending upon the type of food available (Kupfermann and Carew, 1974; see also Hurwitz et al, 1999). Interestingly, we have observed an indistinguishable pattern of GABAi staining in the buccal ganglion of the tropical marine mollusc Bursatella leachii (unpublished observations), an aplysiid that normally feeds by grazing, but which will browse when constrained by available food types (Ramos et al, 1995;unpublished observations). The increased number of GABAergic buccal neurons found in the aplysiids may be in some way related to the flexibility of their feeding strategies (see Hurwitz et al, 1999).…”

Section: Functional Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 66%

Localization of GABA-like immunoreactivity in the central nervous system ofAplysia californica

1999

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Section: Functional Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 66%

Localization of GABA-like immunoreactivity in the central nervous system ofAplysia californica

1999

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“…The ragged sea hare Bursatella leachii is a key benthic component of the macrofaunal community of mangrove habitats. They have a daily rhythm and an aggregative distribution in shallow subtidal waters (Ramos et al 1995). B. leachii is a generalist grazer of a wide variety of macroalgae and benthic cyanobacteria (Ramos et al 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They have a daily rhythm and an aggregative distribution in shallow subtidal waters (Ramos et al 1995). B. leachii is a generalist grazer of a wide variety of macroalgae and benthic cyanobacteria (Ramos et al 1995). In the Manche à Eau system, their abundance was highly variable, with temporal peak densities showing individuals grazing upon Beggiatoa mats as well as surficial sediment in adjacent benthic environments (P. Y. Pascal pers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic role of large benthic sulfur bacteria in mangrove sediment

Pascal¹,

Dubois²,

Boschker³

et al. 2014

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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International audienceLarge filamentous sulfur-oxidizing bacteria belonging to the Beggiatoacae family can cover large portions of shallow marine sediments surrounding mangroves in Guadeloupe (French West Indies). In order to assess the importance of Beggiatoa mats as an infaunal food source, observations were conducted of the area within mats and at increasing distances from mats. We used natural isotopic compositions and a C-13 enrichment study. Both revealed an ingestion of bacterial mats by associated meiofauna, dominated by rotifers and to a smaller extent by small polychaetes and nematodes. Compared to adjacent sites, sediment covered by bacterial mats presented a higher abundance of diatoms, whereas the total biomass of bacteria did not vary. This constant bacterial abundance suggests that the proportion of organic matter represented by sulfur bacteria is limited compared to the fraction of total bacteria. There was no significant difference in infaunal abundance in mats, suggesting that the availability of this chemosynthetic food resource had a limited local effect. Grazers presented a delta C-13 value increasing with distance from the mat. However, isotopic composition of phospholipid-derived fatty acids specific for diatoms and bacteria revealed that this change is related to modifications of delta C-13 dietary components rather than to changes in diet composition. These complementary methods revealed that the occurrence of sulfur-oxidizing bacterial mats does not necessarily affect grazer abundance and importance of bacteria in their diet. Despite its wide occurrence, Beggiatoa mats would consequently have a minor influence on the structure of the mangrove food web

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“…Bursatella leachü de Blainville, 1817 also utilizes chemical cues from L. majuscula to induce settlement leading to rapid development of larvae (Paige, 1988). Whilst B. leachii consumes and grows well on a diet of Lyngbya (Capper et al, 2006b), a broader dietary spectrum has been reported for this species (Paige, 1988;Ramos et al, 1995). A more expansive dietary repertoire could reflect a need for additional nutritional requirements.…”

Section: Background and Significancementioning

confidence: 99%