Macrobenthic patterns at the shallow marine waters in the caldera of the active volcano of Deception Island, Antarctica

Angulo‐Preckler, Carlos; Figuerola, Blanca; Núñez-Pons, Laura; Moles, Juan; Martín–Martín, Rafael P.; Rull-Lluch, Jordi; Gómez‐Garreta, Amelia; Ávila, Conxita

doi:10.1016/j.csr.2018.02.005

Cited by 19 publications

(24 citation statements)

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“…This is the first description of a novel emerging echinoderm disease occurring in the Antarctic Ocean based on a combination of microbial community profiling and pathology. Sea stars are abundant and comprise various species at Deception Island 33 , 34 ; however, only one species, the most abundant – O. validus– manifested lesions. The outbreak was first detected in the austral summer of 2012–2013, coinciding with seawater and soil fluctuations characterized by spikes in elevated temperature, and increase in the frequency of seismic events.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar geothermal anomalies were not recorded in the preceding or following years 29 . Prevalence of skin lesions in asteroids within Port Foster Bay ranged from barely over 0% in the innermost sites to 10% at locations adjacent to the bay’s opening, broadly following the gradient of species diversity in the region 33 , 34 . This trend was consistent over two surveys (2013,2016), and was correlated with O. validus distribution, which is largely driven by colonization, sedimentation, and sea current regimes 34 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After the last eruption in 1970, the local benthos experienced remarkable recolonization of primarily algae and echinoderms, together with detritivore communities 31 , 32 . Currently, three species of echinoderms predominate: the echinoid Sterechinus neumayeri , the ophiuroid Ophionotus victoriae , and among the three most common asteroids stands out Odontaster validus 33 , 34 . The latter species is a keystone predator that has a circum-Antarctic and eurybathic range (down to 1000 m depth) 35 , 36 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the pathology of an epidermal disease affecting a circum-Antarctic sea star

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Angulo‐Preckler

et al. 2018

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Over the past decade, unusual mortality outbreaks have decimated echinoderm populations over broad geographic regions, raising awareness globally of the importance of investigating such events. Echinoderms are key components of marine benthos for top-down and bottom-up regulations of plants and animals; population declines of these individuals can have significant ecosystem-wide effects. Here we describe the first case study of an outbreak affecting Antarctic echinoderms and consisting of an ulcerative epidermal disease affecting ~10% of the population of the keystone asteroid predator Odontaster validus at Deception Island, Antarctica. This event was first detected in the Austral summer 2012–2013, coinciding with unprecedented high seawater temperatures and increased seismicity. Histological analyses revealed epidermal ulceration, inflammation, and necrosis in diseased animals. Bacterial and fungal alpha diversity was consistently lower and of different composition in lesioned versus unaffected tissues (32.87% and 16.94% shared bacterial and fungal operational taxonomic units OTUs respectively). The microbiome of healthy stars was more consistent across individuals than in diseased specimens suggesting microbial dysbiosis, especially in the lesion fronts. Because these microbes were not associated with tissue damage at the microscopic level, their contribution to the development of epidermal lesions remains unclear. Our study reveals that disease events are reaching echinoderms as far as the polar regions thereby highlighting the need to develop a greater understanding of the microbiology and physiology of marine diseases and ecosystems health, especially in the era of global warming.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the pathology of an epidermal disease affecting a circum-Antarctic sea star

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Angulo‐Preckler

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“…Ballia callitricha and B. sertularioides are shallow water red algae with a general Southern Hemisphere distribution that includes previous records from the Ross Sea, Antarctica (Fig. 3), but not from DI or West Antarctica 8 . Juveniles and adults of the southern goose barnacle Lepas australis, were also found.…”

Section: Continuedmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…eruptions (1970) and ongoing volcanic activity 7 . Recent work shows an increasing biodiversity gradient towards the entrance of the bay 7,8 . The geothermal and morphological nature of the caldera provides a relatively calm and warm-water habitat, with bottom water temperatures of about 2-3 °C, protected from ice disturbances (ice scouring, anchor ice, etc), perhaps offering favourable habitat for potential invasive species entering Antarctica.…”

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Invasive marine species discovered on non–native kelp rafts in the warmest Antarctic island

Ávila

Angulo‐Preckler

Martín–Martín

et al. 2020

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Antarctic shallow coastal marine communities were long thought to be isolated from their nearest neighbours by hundreds of kilometres of deep ocean and the Antarctic circumpolar current. the discovery of non-native kelp washed up on Antarctic beaches led us to question the permeability of these barriers to species dispersal. According to the literature, over 70 million kelp rafts are afloat in the Southern Ocean at any one time. These living, floating islands can play host to a range of passenger species from both their original coastal location and those picked in the open ocean. Driven by winds, currents and storms towards the coast of the continent, these rafts are often cited as theoretical vectors for the introduction of new species into Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands. We found non-native kelps, with a wide range of "hitchhiking" passenger organisms, on an Antarctic beach inside the flooded caldera of an active volcanic island. This is the first evidence of non-native species reaching the Antarctic continent alive on kelp rafts. one passenger species, the bryozoan Membranipora membranacea, is found to be an invasive and ecologically harmful species in some cold-water regions, and this is its first record from Antarctica. the caldera of Deception island provides considerably milder conditions than the frigid surrounding waters and it could be an ideal location for newly introduced species to become established. These findings may help to explain many of the biogeographic patterns and connections we currently see in the Southern ocean. However, with the impacts of climate change in the region we may see an increase in the range and number of organisms capable of surviving both the long journey and becoming successfully established. Human activity and shipping have long been considered the principal threats to the "biosecurity" of the remote and isolated shallow marine ecosystems of Antarctica 1. However, recent work has shown that the Southern Ocean's (SO) strong, circumpolar winds, currents and fronts may not be a barrier to natural colonization from the north 2-4. Floating kelp is a potential vector for distributing species across the vast oceanic distances between the sub-Antarctic islands. It has been estimated that there may be over 70 million kelp rafts afloat at any one time in the Sub-Antarctic, 94% of which are Durvillaea antarctica 5. The remote archipelagos distributed between 45 and 60° S are key locations for dispersal either side of the Polar Front (PF) and across 2-4,6. The discovery of the non-Antarctic bull kelp, D. antarctica on Antarctic beaches, coupled with oceanographic models, demonstrate a non-anthropogenic mechanism for species introduction into Antarctica 4. Genomic analyses revealed that the kelp specimens originated in the sub-Antarctic (Kerguelen Island and South Georgia) and dispersed thousands of kilometres to reach the Antarctic coast 4. The only epibionts found on these specimens were goose barnacles (Lepas australis), and this epipelagic species is likely to have col...

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Experimental evidence of antimicrobial activity in Antarctic seaweeds: ecological role and antibiotic potential

et al. 2022

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Seaweeds contain a wide range of secondary metabolites which serve multiple functions, including chemical and ecological mediation with microorganisms. Moreover, owing to their diverse bioactivity, including their antibiotic properties, they show potential for human use. Nonetheless, the chemical ecology of seaweeds is not equally understood across different regions; for example, Antarctic seaweeds are among the lesser studied groups. With the aim of improving our current understanding of the chemical ecology and potential bioactivity of Antarctic seaweeds, we performed a screening of antibiotic activity using crude extracts from 22 Antarctic macroalgae species. Extractions were performed separating lipophilic and hydrophilic fractions at natural concentrations. Antimicrobial activity assays were performed using the disk diffusion method against seven Antarctic bacteria and seven human pathogenic surrogates. Our results showed that red seaweeds (especially Delisea pulchra) inhibited a larger number of microorganisms compared with brown seaweeds, and that lipophilic fractions were more active than hydrophilic ones. Both types of bacteria tested (Gram negative and Gram positive) were inhibited, especially by butanolic fractions, suggesting a trend of non-specific chemical defence. However, Gram-negative bacteria and one pathogenic fungus showed greater resistance. Our study contributes to the evidence of antimicrobial chemical interactions between Antarctic seaweeds and sympatric microorganisms, as well as the potential of seaweed extracts for pharmacological applications.

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Macrobenthic patterns at the shallow marine waters in the caldera of the active volcano of Deception Island, Antarctica

Cited by 19 publications

References 46 publications

Exploring the pathology of an epidermal disease affecting a circum-Antarctic sea star

Exploring the pathology of an epidermal disease affecting a circum-Antarctic sea star

Invasive marine species discovered on non–native kelp rafts in the warmest Antarctic island

Experimental evidence of antimicrobial activity in Antarctic seaweeds: ecological role and antibiotic potential

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