Mechanoreception, a possible mechanism for food fall detection in deep-sea scavengers

Scavenging amphipods were studied at 6 locations in the Fram Strait (Arctic Ocean). At each location a tripod lander equipped with a time-lapse camera, acoustic doppler current profiler and baited traps was deployed at water depths between 1500 and 2600 m. All amphipods, both on photographs and captured, belonged to the superfamily Lysianassoidea or Stegocephaloidea. Differences between the stations occurred in time and number of amphipod maxima, consumption rates, taxonomic composition, size structure and current direction. Scavenger aggregation dynamics and behaviour on carcasses in the Arctic Ocean differ from those in other reported deep-sea areas in arrival time at bait, abundance and length distribution of individuals sampled. The giant amphipod Eurythenes gryllus dominated in our bait experiments; it exceeded numbers counted by other workers by >13-fold, and the first individuals appeared up to 20 times faster than in other reported experiments. Specimen attraction and abundance seem to be directly linked to the organic input of food falls in the area. Relations between scavenger aggregations and trophic conditions are discussed with respect to results obtained under different trophic regimes in the Arabian Sea and in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

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“…comm.). This kind of impact may be detected by scavenging invertebrates even at distances far beyond 100 m (Klages et al 2002).…”

Section: Natural Food Fallsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aggregations of Arctic deep-sea scavengers at large food falls: temporal distribution, consumption rates and population structure

Premke

Klages²,

Arntz³

2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…comm.). Given the high rate of scavenging in the Arctic, for example by the amphipod Anonyx nugax (Klages et al 2002, Fisk et al 2003, carcasses are unlikely to be missed; therefore the latter explanation is more likely. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Depth and temperature preferences of the deepwater flatfish Greenland halibut Reinhardtius hippoglossoides in an Arctic marine ecosystem

Peklova¹,

Hussey²,

Hedges³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Little is known about the movement of Arctic marine fish, particularly benthic species, despite growing pressure from commercial fisheries and a changing climate. The Greenland halibut Reinhardtius hippoglossoides lives in the deep, cold waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans where it represents an important commercial fish species and a significant prey resource for whales and sharks. To investigate movement, depth and temperature preferences of Greenland halibut, 9 large (83 to 95 cm fork length) individuals were tagged with pop-off archival transmitting tags in Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island in August 2010 to record data for 70, 100 and 300 d. While all tags reported back, 7 tags provided the bulk of the data, transmitting (mean ± SD) 67 ± 7% of the data collected. Greenland halibut exhibited strong site fidelity to localised deep areas (900 to 1400 m), but ranged between ~400 and 1400 m, with all tags poppingoff within 27 km of the tagging location. Mean depth was 1048 ± 112 m (n = 7) during the ice-free season and 823 ± 121 m (n = 2) during the ice-covered season. Temperature occupied by Greenland halibut from August until June ranged from 1.3 to 2.7°C (mean ± SD: 2.2 ± 0.01°C). A mixedeffect model found preferred depth did not vary within a diel cycle, but did change among months. Seasonal movements coincided with ice cover, but further work is needed to clarify this relationship and determine the extent and timing of these movements within and beyond Cumberland Sound. KEY WORDS: Arctic · Movement patterns · Archival tags · Marine fish · Depth preferences · Sea iceResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher Mar Ecol Prog Ser 467: 193-205, 2012 marine fishes, e.g. distribution and maturation of larvae (Gibson 1997, Sohn et al. 2010. Understanding how the characteristics of Arctic marine ecosystems relate to fish movement patterns (i.e. linking environmental parameters with the distribution and abundance of fishing resources) is of critical importance for the management and conservation of Arctic marine fish stocks (Schick et al. 2008).Satellite telemetry has been used to study the movement, behaviour and environmental preferences of a wide range of aquatic species, including sharks (Sims et al. 2003, 2008, Teo et al. 2004, Brunnschweiler et al. 2010) and many teleostei, such as tuna (Block et al. 2001, Kitagawa et al. 2004, Schaefer & Fuller 2004 and flatfishes (Seitz et al. 2003, Loher & Seitz 2006, Loher & Blood 2009). These tags are attached externally to the fish, during which time they record depth, temperature and light, and release after a specified length of time, thus providing insight into horizontal and vertical movements and habitat use over different spatial and temporal scales (Block et al. 2001, Wearmouth & Sims 2009, Humphries et al. 2010. There is no requirement to recapture tagged individuals, making this technology particularly useful for studying fish in deepwater habitats and extreme environments, such as the Arctic, wher...

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“…The appr oach to the event from down cur rent suggests that buccinids utilize their olfactory senses to detect prey or carrion odours carried by currents. The detection of noise associated with carrion falls r eaching the seabed as well as the associated noise and vibrations of scavenging activity may contribute to locating a food fall via mechanoreception (Klages et al 2002, Pr emke et al 2003.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting feeding behaviour of deep-sea buccinid gastropods at natural and simulated food falls

Aguzzi

Jamieson

Fujii

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The deep sea is a low food input envir onment, hence large food falls from the surface waters are important in suppor ting a wealth of scavenging deep-sea fauna. The pr obability of observing such events is ver y low, due to their unpr edictable and short-lived nature. The video system of a cabled obser vatory installed within a cold seep clam field in Sagami Bay (1100 m depth; Central Japan) recorded a rare event. We observed a fish dying directly in front of the camera and being immediately perceived and preyed upon by Buccinum yoroianum (Neo gastropoda: Buccinidae), while still alive. Up to 76 large snails responded to the fish and consumed the carcass within ~8 h, with no inter vention by decapod cr ustaceans. There was only small par ticipation of eelpouts (Zoarcidae). For comparison, we report on supplementary findings from a different area and depth of the Pacific Ocean. These obser vations were recorded by a baited camera lander which simulated a food fall. W ithin 6 h, the buccinid Tacita zenkevitchi aggregated on the bait, competing with fishes. These observations confirm that deep-sea buccinids can shift their feeding behaviour between active pr edation and scavenging. Our perception, however, seems conditioned by the observational methodology we use: buccinids may appear as scavengers when using photography (e.g. by baited landers) pr oducing single snapshots in time, or as pr edators when observed in a natural setting and video-taped continuously with a cabled observatory.

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Mechanoreception, a possible mechanism for food fall detection in deep-sea scavengers

Cited by 46 publications

References 35 publications

Aggregations of Arctic deep-sea scavengers at large food falls: temporal distribution, consumption rates and population structure

Aggregations of Arctic deep-sea scavengers at large food falls: temporal distribution, consumption rates and population structure

Depth and temperature preferences of the deepwater flatfish Greenland halibut Reinhardtius hippoglossoides in an Arctic marine ecosystem

Shifting feeding behaviour of deep-sea buccinid gastropods at natural and simulated food falls

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