Ecological release and niche partitioning under stress: Lessons from dorvilleid polychaetes in sulfidic sediments at methane seeps

Levin, Lisa A.; Ziebis, Wiebke; Mendoza, Guillermo; Bertics, Victoria J.; Washington, Tracy L.; Gonzalez, Jennifer P.; Thurber, Andrew R.; Ebbe, Brigitte; Lee, Raymond W.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.02.006

Cited by 50 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…The colonization trays consisted of an 11.1 cm diameter central cup (9 cm deep) lined with 20 µm mesh, surrounded by a flat delrin nylon collar 40 cm in diameter. The design of the colonization trays is described by Levin and DiBacco (1995) and is identical to those used by Snelgrove et al (1992Snelgrove et al ( , 1994Snelgrove et al ( , 1996 in the Atlantic Ocean and Levin et al (2006Levin et al ( , 2013 in the Pacific Ocean. The broad collar is designed to reduce turbulent flow over the central cup and prevent scour.…”

Section: Colonization Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macrofaunal colonization across the Indian margin oxygen minimum zone

et al. 2013

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Abstract. There is a growing need to understand the ability of bathyal assemblages to recover from disturbance and oxygen stress, as human activities and expanding oxygen minimum zones increasingly affect deep continental margins. The effects of a pronounced oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) on slope benthic community structure have been studied on every major upwelling margin; however, little is known about the dynamics or resilience of these benthic populations. To examine the influence of oxygen and phytodetritus on shortterm settlement patterns, we conducted colonization experiments at 3 depths on the West Indian continental margin. Four colonization trays were deployed at each depth for 4 days at 542 and 802 m (transect 1-16 • 58 N) and for 9 days at 817 and 1147 m (transect 2-17 • 31 N). Oxygen concentrations ranged from 0.9 µM (0.02 mL L −1 ) at 542 m to 22 µM (0.5 mL L −1 ) at 1147 m. All trays contained local defaunated sediments; half of the trays at each depth also contained 13 C / 15 N-labeled phytodetritus mixed into the sediments. Sediment cores were collected between 535 m and 1140 m from 2 cross-margin transects for analysis of ambient (source) macrofaunal (> 300 µm) densities and composition. Ambient macrofaunal densities ranged from 0 ind m −2 (at 535-542 m) to 7400 ind m −2 , with maximum values on both transects at 700-800 m. Macrofaunal colonizer densities ranged from 0 ind m −2 at 542 m, where oxygen was lowest, to average values of 142 ind m −2 at 800 m, and 3074 ind m −2 at 1147 m, where oxygen concentration was highest. These were equal to 4.3 and 151 % of the ambient community at 800 m and 1147 m, respectively. Community structure of settlers showed no response to the presence of phytodetritus. Increasing depth and oxygen concentration, however, significantly influenced the community composition and abundance of colonizing macrofauna. Polychaetes constituted 92.4 % of the total colonizers, followed by crustaceans (4.2 %), mollusks (2.5 %), and echinoderms (0.8 %). The majority of colonizers were found at 1147 m; 88.5 % of these were Capitella sp., although they were rare in the ambient community. Colonists at 800 and 1147 m also included ampharetid, spionid, syllid, lumbrinerid, cirratulid, cossurid and sabellid polychaetes. Consumption of 13 C / 15 N-labeled phytodetritus was observed for macrofaunal foraminifera (too large to be colonizers) at the 542 and 802/817 m sites, and by metazoan macrofauna mainly at the deepest, better oxygenated sites. Calcareous foraminifera (Uvigerina, Hoeglundina sp.), capitellid polychaetes and cumaceans were among the major phytodetritus consumers. These preliminary experiments suggest that bottom-water oxygen concentrations may strongly influence ecosystem services on continental margins, as reflected in rates of colonization by benthos and colonizer processing of carbon following disturbance. They may also provide a window into future patterns of

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Section: Colonization Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macrofaunal colonization across the Indian margin oxygen minimum zone

et al. 2013

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“…The apparently limited consumption of chemosynthetic OM suggested that either it was not widely available (e.g. patchy or low density of endosymbiont-bearing fauna; Bell et al, 2016b) or that the ecological stress associated with feeding in areas of in situ production was a significant deterrent to many species (Bernardino et al, 2012;Levin et al, 2013).…”

Section: Organic Matter Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrothermal activity lowers trophic diversity in Antarctic hydrothermal sediments

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Hydrothermal sediments are those in which hydrothermal fluid is discharged through sediments and are one of the least studied deep-sea ecosystems. We present a combination of microbial and biochemical data to assess trophodynamics between and within hydrothermal and background areas of the Bransfield Strait (1050-1647 m of depth). Microbial composition, biomass, and fatty acid signatures varied widely between and within hydrothermally active and background sites, providing evidence of diverse metabolic activity. Several species had different feeding strategies and trophic positions between hydrothermally active and inactive areas, and the stable isotope values of consumers were not consistent with feeding morphology. Niche area and the diversity of microbial fatty acids was lowest at the most hydrothermally active site, reflecting trends in species diversity. Faunal uptake of chemosynthetically produced organics was relatively limited but was detected at both hydrothermal and non-hydrothermal sites, potentially suggesting that hydrothermal activity can affect trophodynamics over a much wider area than previously thought.

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“…Smallscale heterogeneity in sediment geochemistry seems to be closely linked to faunal patterns, and considered a primary factor regulating seep faunal communities (Sahling et al, 2002;Cordes et al, 2010). Fine-scale chemical gradients in sediments may even facilitate evolutionary radiations, such as for co-occurring dorvilleid polychaete species in the Northeast Pacific, which show extreme dietary niche differentiation (Levin et al, 2013).…”

Section: Seeps As a Contrast To Ventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Ecology of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents in a Metacommunity Framework

et al. 2018

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Species inhabiting deep-sea hydrothermal vents are strongly influenced by the geological setting, as it provides the chemical-rich fluids supporting the food web, creates the patchwork of seafloor habitat, and generates catastrophic disturbances that can eradicate entire communities. The patches of vent habitat host a network of communities (a metacommunity) connected by dispersal of planktonic larvae. The dynamics of the metacommunity are influenced not only by birth rates, death rates and interactions of populations at the local site, but also by regional influences on dispersal from different sites. The connections to other communities provide a mechanism for dynamics at a local site to affect features of the regional biota. In this paper, we explore the challenges and potential benefits of applying metacommunity theory to vent communities, with a particular focus on effects of disturbance. We synthesize field observations to inform models and identify data gaps that need to be addressed to answer key questions including: (1) what is the influence of the magnitude and rate of disturbance on ecological attributes, such as time to extinction or resilience in a metacommunity; (2) what interactions between local and regional processes control species diversity, and (3) which communities are "hot spots" of key ecological significance. We conclude by assessing our ability to evaluate resilience of vent metacommunities to human disturbance (e.g., deep-sea mining). Although the resilience of a few highly disturbed vent systems in the eastern Pacific has been quantified, these values cannot be generalized to remote locales in the western Pacific or mid Atlantic where disturbance rates are different and information on local controls is missing.

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Ecological release and niche partitioning under stress: Lessons from dorvilleid polychaetes in sulfidic sediments at methane seeps

Cited by 50 publications

References 67 publications

Macrofaunal colonization across the Indian margin oxygen minimum zone

Macrofaunal colonization across the Indian margin oxygen minimum zone

Hydrothermal activity lowers trophic diversity in Antarctic hydrothermal sediments

Exploring the Ecology of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents in a Metacommunity Framework

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