Is seafloor litter contributing to sea anemone blooms?

Teng, Guangliang; Jin, Xianshi; Fu, Caihong; Guan, Lisha; Yugan, Jin; Chen, Yunlong; Yang, Tao; Ding, Qian; Shan, Xiujuan

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143479

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…More than 50% of the litter items (mainly consisting of macroplastics) in the Mediterranean Gulf of Naples were colonized by diverse invertebrates including reproductive structures such as molluscan egg masses . Sea anemones were commonly found attached to macroplastics on the coastal seabed of the Yellow Sea …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…24 attached to macroplastics on the coastal seabed of the Yellow Sea. 25 Observations by underwater videos or photographs revealed marine organisms such as large sponges, corals, and sea anemones inhabiting macroplastic debris on the deep-sea floor. 10−17 However, further close examinations based on specimens are required, particularly for certain minute macrobenthos organisms, to understand the ecological interactions.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Large Plastic Debris Dumps: New Biodiversity Hot Spots Emerging on the Deep-Sea Floor

Song

Lyu

Zhang

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett.

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Macroplastic debris recorded in the MarianaTrench and accumulated on some deep-sea canyons worldwide has aroused great public concerns. Large plastic debris dumps found in canyons of the Xisha Trough, South China Sea have become hot spots for deep-sea pollution, with 1 order of magnitude higher abundance than in other investigated canyons.Here we adopted an integrative specimen-based approach to examine macroplastic items from large debris dumps in the Xisha Trough and comparative items from continental shelves with rare macroplastics. On the investigated items, we found an epibenthic ecosystem with relatively high species diversity, comprised of 49 mm-sized fungi and invertebrate species dominated by scyphozoan polyps and brachiopod juveniles according to inhabiting density. These large dumps are functioning as new biodiversity hot spots hosting endemic species like soft corals or aplacophoran molluscs, providing a spawning habitat for gastropods and even specialized parasitic flatworms, and can be inferred as potential scattered regional sources releasing deep-sea coronate jellyfish. We hypothesize that macroplastics can boost population extension of sessile and some free-living (Mollusca) invertebrates and affect the deep-sea benthic-pelagic coupling process. The baseline of associated organisms needs to be set up and monitored in more canyons, where debris is transported to and accumulated at the highest density.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large Plastic Debris Dumps: New Biodiversity Hot Spots Emerging on the Deep-Sea Floor

Song

Lyu

Zhang

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett.

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“…The replacement of slow-growing species with opportunistic ones has also been observed under the influence of litter (Akoumianaki et al, 2008;Angiolillo and Fortibuoni, 2020). Marine litter also offers opportunities for the dispersal of invasive species by providing artificial substrate for colonization and transport, and thereby, invaders may outcompete native species (Mantelatto et al, 2020;Teng et al, 2021;Wilson et al, 2021). Fucus is the major habitat-forming species on the hard substrate in the Baltic Sea (Wikström and Kautsky, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Manipulative Field Experiment to Evaluate the Impact of Discarded Plastic Bags on Shallow Vegetated Benthic Communities

et al. 2022

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Coastal regions are biologically active areas with significant ecological and socioeconomic values. These regions are increasingly being affected by marine litter. The impact of macro-sized marine litter on biomass and net primary production of hard and soft bottom communities was investigated by using a manipulative field experiment. Plastic bags were used to mimic the disturbance caused by litter to benthic vegetation and fauna. The experiment was carried out on a soft substrate community dominated by sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata (L.) Boerner and bladder wrack Fucus vesiculosus L. as a foundation species of a hard substrate. A rapid negative impact of the plastic bag cover on vegetation biomass of soft-bottom community was detected, while the impact on the biomass of hard bottom vegetation was non-significant. Plastic bag cover substantially reduced the net production rates of hard substrate species Fucus and the biomass of associated zoobenthos. The difference in net production rates of Stuckenia with and without plastic cover was negligible.

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“…Given their complex life-history strategies and ecological tolerance, sea anemones are considered to be able to successfully introduce, spread and even invade other ecosystemss in the context of the proliferation of artificial substrates (Glon et al, 2020). Based on field observations and model analysis, Teng et al (2021a) showed that the extensive distribution of seafloor litter in the northern Yellow Sea provides nature habitat for the distribution of Metridium senile fimbriatum, which promotes the proliferation and diffusion of the M. senile, contributing to sea anemone blooms. As the most abundant and widespread anemone species in the world, M. senile is mainly distributed in the intertidal zone and at a water depth of 100 m (Li and Xu, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the most abundant and widespread anemone species in the world, M. senile is mainly distributed in the intertidal zone and at a water depth of 100 m (Li and Xu, 2020). In recent years, with the proliferation of artificial substrates, including marine litter, M. senile has not only shown a trend of outbreak in local areas, but also significantly expanded its distribution in the global scope (Xu et al, 2009;Glon et al, 2019;Teng et al, 2021a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cascade effects of seafloor litter on benthic ecosystems in the northern Yellow Sea

2023

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The accumulation of seafloor litter changes the habitats of benthic organisms and thus affects their spatial distribution. Previous studies suggested that the accumulation of seafloor litter might contribute to the bloom of Metridium senile fimbriatum, given that seafloor litter could serve as “vectors” for M. senile dispersal and provide with “natural habitat” for their settlement. As a common fouler and invader, M. senile bloom will inevitably affect the benthic ecosystems. The cascading effects of seafloor litter on benthic ecosystems can be explored by studying the interactions between this litter-associated anemone and other co-occurred species. Therefore, this study uses stable isotope analysis to study the food composition of M. senile attached to the seafloor litter and the niche relationship with co-occurred species. First, by comparing the stable isotope ratios of the pedal disc and tentacle of M. senile, it was found that the δ15N of the foot disc is more stable than that of the tentacle, so the pedal disc was chosen as the sampling tissue. The mean δ13C value of M. senile was -19.34 ± 0.86‰, which ranged from -22.30‰ to -18.17‰. For δ15N, the mean value was 12.02 ± 0.95‰, which ranged from 9.22‰ to 13.31‰. Then, we quantified the contribution of the potential food resources of M. senile using the SIMMR model. M. senile has the highest feeding proportion to crustaceans, followed by juvenile fish, zooplankton and other macrobenthos. Meanwhile, M. senile has high uncertainty in the feeding proportion of crustaceans and juvenile fish. In addition, the trophic niche overlap between different functional groups was calculated by the SIBER model, and the results showed that the isotopic niche of M. senile was overlapped with different functional groups, ranging from 34.29 to 35.25%. Therefore, this study suggests that M. senile, as litter-associated carnivorous anemone, interacts with other components in the ecosystems through predation and competition, which also reveals the cascade effect of seafloor litter on the benthic ecosystems of the northern Yellow Sea.

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Is seafloor litter contributing to sea anemone blooms?

Cited by 9 publications

References 36 publications

Large Plastic Debris Dumps: New Biodiversity Hot Spots Emerging on the Deep-Sea Floor

Large Plastic Debris Dumps: New Biodiversity Hot Spots Emerging on the Deep-Sea Floor

A Manipulative Field Experiment to Evaluate the Impact of Discarded Plastic Bags on Shallow Vegetated Benthic Communities

Cascade effects of seafloor litter on benthic ecosystems in the northern Yellow Sea

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