Diel and habitat-dependent resource utilisation of deep-sea fishes at the Great Meteor seamount (subtropical NE Atlantic): niche overlap and support for the sound-scattering layer-interception hypothesis

Fock, Heino O.; Matthiessen, Birte; Zidowitz, H.; Westernhagen, Hein von

doi:10.3354/meps244219

Cited by 60 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(71 reference statements)

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“…In order to determine the relative importance of food items, the frequency of occurrence of each prey item i (%F i ), its percentage by weight (%W), and its percentage by number (%N) was calculated (Hyslop 1980, Amundsen et al 1996.%F i was calculated as the number of stomachs with Prey Item i compared to all nonempty stomachs; %W was calculated as the weight of Prey Item i compared to the total weight of all prey items; %N was calculated as the number of Prey Item i compared to the total number of all prey items (Hyslop 1980, Fock et al 2002a.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to studies on the fish communities at the GMS (e.g. Uiblein et al 1999, Fock et al 2002a, studies on the parasite fauna and the feeding behaviour of fishes around the GMS are almost completely lacking (Ehrich 1971, Palm & Schröder 2001. Because seamounts are more difficult to study than shallow coastal marine ecosystems, less is known about the biology of their resident species and the overall system ecology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The unique characteristics of the GMS have recently been documented in numerous studies which report on its hydrography and the faunal assemblages in the area (e.g. , Fock et al 2002a,b, Mohn & Beckmann 2002, Diekmann & Piatkowski 2004. Distribution patterns of fishes over the GMS plateau revealed that they were related to habitats at the edge of the plateau (Fock et al 2002a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…, Fock et al 2002a,b, Mohn & Beckmann 2002, Diekmann & Piatkowski 2004. Distribution patterns of fishes over the GMS plateau revealed that they were related to habitats at the edge of the plateau (Fock et al 2002a). In general, the fish fauna appeared to be dominated by benthic suspension feeders over the plateau and highly aggregated pelagic species at the edge and flanks of the GMS (Uiblein et al 1999, Fock et al 2002a.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diet and metazoan parasites of silver scabbard fish Lepidopus caudatus from the Great Meteor Seamount (North Atlantic)

Klimpel

Rückert²,

Piatkowski³

et al. 2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Silver scabbard fish Lepidopus caudatus (Euphrasen, 1788) (Trichiuridae) from the Great Meteor Seamount (GMS) in the central eastern Atlantic were studied for diet composition and metazoan parasites. A total of 36 specimens with lengths between 39.1 and 52.2 cm were sampled, which had taken 14 different prey items belonging to 4 major taxonomic groups (Chaetognatha, Crustacea, Mollusca and Teleostei). The most abundant prey organisms were Myctophidae and Euphausiacea, followed by Copepoda (Calanoida), Decapoda, Chaetognatha and Cephalopoda. Fishes were also the dominant prey in terms of biomass. Cannibalism was observed in 7 specimens of subadult L. caudatus. A total of 11 parasite species were identified in/on L. caudatus. We established 9 new host and 8 new locality records. Infestation rates were congruent with diet composition, indicating that parasites were ingested via mesopelagic prey organisms serving as intermediate hosts. The rich parasite fauna in L. caudatus reflects a high diversity of mesopelagic species at the GMS, providing niches for parasites and their intermediate hosts. While several species such as Paradiplectanotrema lepidopi (Monogenea) and Nybelinia lingualis (Cestoda) are typical parasites of L. caudatus, other species such as Sphyriocephalus tergestinus (Cestoda), Anisakis simplex (Nematoda) and Bolbosoma vasculosum (Acanthocephala) seem to be transferred by hosts migrating into the area, indicating an important role of the GMS in the transoceanic distribution patterns of such parasites.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diet and metazoan parasites of silver scabbard fish Lepidopus caudatus from the Great Meteor Seamount (North Atlantic)

Klimpel

Rückert²,

Piatkowski³

et al. 2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Whether this occurs or not depends on the depth of the seamount summit with respect to the depths over which the deep scattering layers (DSL) of plankton migrate, as well as on the intensity of horizontal currents that advect the DSL over the seamount at night. Studies of fish populations over seamounts have shown that the fish prey on the migrating zooplankton and may be concentrated around the margins of the summit in order to maximise chances of encountering the zooplankton (Rogers, 1994;Fock et al, 2002). These mechanisms may also be important in the nutrition of abundant benthic communities on seamounts.…”

Section: Seamounts: Topographic Enhanced Productivitymentioning

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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Caught in broad daylight: Topographic constraints of zooplankton depth distributions

Aarflot

Aksnes

Opdal

et al. 2018

Limnology & Oceanography

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For visual predators, sufficient light is critical for prey detection and capture. Because light decays exponentially with depth in aquatic systems, vertical movement has become a widespread strategy among zooplankton for avoiding visual predation. However, topographical features such as seamounts have been shown to block their descent, trapping them in illuminated waters with potential feeding benefits for visually searching fish.Here, we present an extensive and previously unpublished dataset on the vertical distribution of zooplankton in the topographically rugged Barents Sea, a continental shelf region hosting some of the largest fish stocks in the world. By modeling the ambient light exposure of zooplankton in relation to the bathymetry, we find support for a similar blockage mechanism. During daytime, zooplankton are exposed to four orders of magnitude more light above shallow banks than in the deeper water surrounding the banks. We show that zooplankton depth distributions are highly related to zooplankton size and that the bottom constrains the vertical distributions. Consequently, zooplankton remain in the planktivores' visual feeding habitat over the banks but not in deeper areas. Bottom topography and light absorbance are significant determinants of the seascape ecology across continental shelves with heterogeneous bathymetry.

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Diel and habitat-dependent resource utilisation of deep-sea fishes at the Great Meteor seamount (subtropical NE Atlantic): niche overlap and support for the sound-scattering layer-interception hypothesis

Cited by 60 publications

References 42 publications

Diet and metazoan parasites of silver scabbard fish Lepidopus caudatus from the Great Meteor Seamount (North Atlantic)

Diet and metazoan parasites of silver scabbard fish Lepidopus caudatus from the Great Meteor Seamount (North Atlantic)

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

Caught in broad daylight: Topographic constraints of zooplankton depth distributions

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