Deep pelagic biology

Robison, Bruce H.

doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2004.01.012

Cited by 248 publications

(233 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…This structuring results in a layering of the ecosystems of the open-ocean pelagic (Robison, 2004). The pelagic deep ocean is generally considered to mean deeper than the penetration of sunlight sufficient to support photosynthesis.…”

Section: The Pelagic Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

et al. 2010

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Abstract. The deep sea, the largest biome on Earth, has a series of characteristics that make this environment both distinct from other marine and land ecosystems and unique for the entire planet. This review describes these patterns and processes, from geological settings to biological processes, biodiversity and biogeographical patterns. It concludes with a brief discussion of current threats from anthropogenic activities to deep-sea habitats and their fauna.Investigations of deep-sea habitats and their fauna began in the late 19th century. In the intervening years, technological developments and stimulating discoveries have promoted deep-sea research and changed our way of understanding life on the planet. Nevertheless, the deep sea is still mostly unknown and current discovery rates of both habitats and species remain high. The geological, physical and Correspondence to: E. Ramirez-Llodra (ezr@icm.csic.es) geochemical settings of the deep-sea floor and the water column form a series of different habitats with unique characteristics that support specific faunal communities. Since 1840, 28 new habitats/ecosystems have been discovered from the shelf break to the deep trenches and discoveries of new habitats are still happening in the early 21st century. However, for most of these habitats the global area covered is unknown or has been only very roughly estimated; an even smaller -indeed, minimal -proportion has actually been sampled and investigated. We currently perceive most of the deep-sea ecosystems as heterotrophic, depending ultimately on the flux on organic matter produced in the overlying surface ocean through photosynthesis. The resulting strong food limitation thus shapes deep-sea biota and communities, with exceptions only in reducing ecosystems such as inter alia hydrothermal vents or cold seeps. Here, chemoautolithotrophic bacteria play the role of primary producers fuelled by chemical energy sources rather than sunlight. Other ecosystems, such as seamounts, canyons or cold-water corals have an Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 2852 E. Ramirez-Llodra et al.: Unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem increased productivity through specific physical processes, such as topographic modification of currents and enhanced transport of particles and detrital matter. Because of its unique abiotic attributes, the deep sea hosts a specialized fauna. Although there are no phyla unique to deep waters, at lower taxonomic levels the composition of the fauna is distinct from that found in the upper ocean. Amongst other characteristic patterns, deep-sea species may exhibit either gigantism or dwarfism, related to the decrease in food availability with depth. Food limitation on the seafloor and water column is also reflected in the trophic structure of heterotrophic deep-sea communities, which are adapted to low energy availability. In most of these heterotrophic habitats, the dominant megafauna is composed of detritivores, while filter feeders are abundant in...

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Section: The Pelagic Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

et al. 2010

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“…However, only a handful of studies have directly assessed locomotion or behaviour in deepsea animals. Several submersible-, or autonomous platform-, based locomotory observations (Cowles 1994;Roper & Vecchione 1997;Villanueva et al 1997;Priede & Bagley 2000;Robison 2004) exist for diverse pelagic species, but only a few are quantitative (e.g. Bailey et al 2003Bailey et al , 2005Zeidberg 2004).…”

Section: Predator-prey Interactions Locomotion and Metabolism (A)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Oxygen consumption rates have now been measured for deep-and shallow-living representatives of many major phyla, both benthic and pelagic, and in several regions. Biochemical proxies of metabolism have provided estimates of metabolic capacity in many additional species (Torres & Somero 1988;Childress & Somero 1990;Seibel et al 1998Drazen 2002a;Seibel & Walsh 2003;Treberg et al 2003;Dalhoff 2004;Thuesen et al 2005b), while submersibles, landers and new tagging techniques have provided detailed studies of locomotion and behaviour in the deep sea (Priede et al 1990;Marshall & Diebel 1995;Villanueva et al 1997;Hunt & Seibel 2000;Bailey et al 2003Bailey et al , 2005Drazen & Robison 2004;Robison 2004;Seibel et al 2005). More than 10 years have passed since the last specific reviews of deep-sea metabolic rates (Childress 1995;Mahaut et al 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The rate of metabolism in marine animals: environmental constraints, ecological demands and energetic opportunities

Seibel

Drazen

2007

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

276

213

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The rates of metabolism in animals vary tremendously throughout the biosphere. The origins of this variation are a matter of active debate with some scientists highlighting the importance of anatomical or environmental constraints, while others emphasize the diversity of ecological roles that organisms play and the associated energy demands. Here, we analyse metabolic rates in diverse marine taxa, with special emphasis on patterns of metabolic rate across a depth gradient, in an effort to understand the extent and underlying causes of variation. The conclusion from this analysis is that low rates of metabolism, in the deep sea and elsewhere, do not result from resource (e.g. food or oxygen) limitation or from temperature or pressure constraint. While metabolic rates do decline strongly with depth in several important animal groups, for others metabolism in abyssal species proceeds as fast as in ecologically similar shallow-water species at equivalent temperatures. Rather, high metabolic demand follows strong selection for locomotory capacity among visual predators inhabiting well-lit oceanic waters. Relaxation of this selection where visual predation is limited provides an opportunity for reduced energy expenditure. Large-scale metabolic variation in the ocean results from interspecific differences in ecological energy demand.Keywords: metabolism; deep sea; scaling; oxygen consumption; locomotion; marine INTRODUCTIONThe rates of metabolic processes in animals vary tremendously throughout the biosphere (e.g. Bennett 1991; Seibel 2007). The origins and scope of this variation are a matter of active debate. Some emphasize geometric and environmental constraints or resource limitation as its source (e.g. Gillooly et al. 2001;Brown et al. 2004), while others emphasize the diversity of ecological roles that organisms play and the associated energy demands (Childress 1995;Suarez 1996;Reinhold 1999;Clarke 2004;Seibel 2007) as a primary driver of metabolic variation. With this in mind, the present paper addresses three seemingly simple questions: (i) what is the extent of variation in the rate of metabolism across diverse taxa and environments, (ii) what environmental and ecological demands act on organisms to drive selection for high metabolic capacity, and (iii) under what environmental circumstances might such selection be relaxed or capacity be constrained?These questions have been pursued vigorously for decades but the clarity of the debate has been diminished by the subtlety of differences in capacity between the taxa most thoroughly studied, that often

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“…However, carotenoids do serve an important function in the deep-sea in terms of camouflage (Herring 1972). Due to the exponential attenuation of sunlight with increasing depth, red wavelengths (*650 nm) being the first to disappear and blue wavelengths (*490 nm) reaching depths around a 1,000 m, a uniform distribution of red pigmentation in the exoskeleton of a deep-sea crustacean would provide valuable camouflage against predators (Herring 2002;Robison 2004;Johnsen 2005) both with regard to scattered surface light and by preventing reflection from bioluminescent light, which is a common trait in many deep-sea predators (Nicol 1958;Herring 1972).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pigmentation and spectral absorbance in the deep-sea arctic amphipods Eurythenes gryllus and Anonyx sp.

2010

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As for many deep-sea animals, the red colouration of the two amphipods Eurythenes gryllus and Anonyx sp. has an important function providing camouflage, as the attenuation of the red wavelengths in seawater is higher than other colours within the visible range. Variation in colouration between different stages of colour intensity (related to size) is evident in both species. The red colour is caused by carotenoids, and the carotenoid composition was identified and quantified using spectral optical density signatures, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The carotenoid astaxanthin was identified as the major carotenoid in both amphipods, both in pure and in esterified forms. In addition, minor amounts of lutein-like, canthaxanthin-like and several unidentified carotenoids were found in E. gryllus, while diatoxanthin, b,b-carotene and canthaxanthin-like carotenoids were detected in Anonyx sp. Generally, both species displayed an increase in the amount of carotenoids as a function of colour intensity and size. Shifts in k max in the OD (Optical density; dimensionless, acronym absorbance) spectra were evident in both species between the different colour stages in both the in vivo and the in vitro material, probably caused by changes in pigment composition. Similar shifts in k max were observed between the in vivo and in vitro pigment raw extracts in general, most likely caused by pigment-binding proteins. The differences in pigment composition and wavelength shifts suggest large intra-and inter-specific differences between the two species. Probable reasons for changes in pigment composition could be related to diet, season, moulting patterns, metabolic pathways and reproduction.

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Deep pelagic biology

Cited by 248 publications

References 35 publications

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

Deep, diverse and definitely different: unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem

The rate of metabolism in marine animals: environmental constraints, ecological demands and energetic opportunities

Pigmentation and spectral absorbance in the deep-sea arctic amphipods Eurythenes gryllus and Anonyx sp.

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