Plasticity in coloration as an antipredator strategy among zooplankton

Vestheim, Hege; Kaartvedt, Stein

doi:10.4319/lo.2006.51.4.1931

Cited by 11 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Both A. fossae and O. dioica are known to present red coloration as well (as observed in this study). Although astaxanthin can provide photoprotection against UVR through its antioxidant properties, its presence in high concentrations also exposes copepods to an increased risk of predation by visual predators such as fish (or birds) leading to the exhibition of phenotypic plasticity (Vestheim & Kaartvedt ). The fact that two phylogenetically very distant neustonic organisms present evolutionary convergence to blue pigmentation suggests that visual predation in surface waters is a strong evolutionary driving force.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carotenoid metabolic profiling and transcriptome‐genome mining reveal functional equivalence among blue‐pigmented copepods and appendicularia

et al. 2014

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The tropical oligotrophic oceanic areas are characterized by high water transparency and annual solar radiation. Under these conditions, a large number of phylogenetically diverse mesozooplankton species living in the surface waters (neuston) are found to be blue pigmented. In the present study, we focused on understanding the metabolic and genetic basis of the observed blue phenotype functional equivalence between the bluepigmented organisms from the phylum Arthropoda, subclass Copepoda (Acartia fossae) and the phylum Chordata, class Appendicularia (Oikopleura dioica) in the Red Sea. Previous studies have shown that carotenoid-protein complexes are responsible for blue coloration in crustaceans. Therefore, we performed carotenoid metabolic profiling using both targeted and nontargeted (high-resolution mass spectrometry) approaches in four different blue-pigmented genera of copepods and one blue-pigmented species of appendicularia. Astaxanthin was found to be the principal carotenoid in all the species. The pathway analysis showed that all the species can synthesize astaxanthin from b-carotene, ingested from dietary sources, via 3-hydroxyechinenone, canthaxanthin, zeaxanthin, adonirubin or adonixanthin. Further, using de novo assembled transcriptome of blue A. fossae (subclass Copepoda), we identified highly expressed homologous b-carotene hydroxylase enzymes and putative carotenoid-binding proteins responsible for astaxanthin formation and the blue phenotype. In blue O. dioica (class Appendicularia), corresponding putative genes were identified from the reference genome. Collectively, our data provide molecular evidences for the bioconversion and accumulation of blue astaxanthin-protein complexes underpinning the observed ecological functional equivalence and adaptive convergence among neustonic mesozooplankton.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carotenoid metabolic profiling and transcriptome‐genome mining reveal functional equivalence among blue‐pigmented copepods and appendicularia

et al. 2014

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“…Some marine invertebrates are able to alter their color over even very short time intervals by modifying chromophore size or other mechanisms (Miner et al 2000). The fact that some deep-dwelling marine copepods tend to be darker in color during the night than during the day suggests that avoidance of visual predation is a more likely explanation than photodamage (Vestheim and Kaartvedt 2006). Both the deep-dwelling nature of these copepods (mostly deeper than 100 m) and the darker color at night support this explanation.…”

Section: A Brief History Of Dvm Theorymentioning

confidence: 98%

Toward a more comprehensive theory of zooplankton diel vertical migration: Integrating ultraviolet radiation and water transparency into the biotic paradigm

Williamson

Fischer

Bollens

et al. 2011

Limnology & Oceanography

186

202

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The current prevailing theory of diel vertical migration (DVM) of zooplankton is focused largely on two biotic drivers: food and predation. Yet recent evidence suggests that abiotic drivers such as damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation and temperature are also important. Here we integrate current knowledge on the effects of abiotic factors on DVM with the current biologically based paradigm to develop a more comprehensive framework for understanding DVM in zooplankton. We focus on ''normal'' (down during the day, up at night) DVM of holoplanktonic, primarily herbivorous zooplankton. This new transparency-regulator hypothesis differentiates between structural drivers, such as temperature and food, that vary little over a 24-h period and dynamic drivers, such as damaging UV radiation and visual predation, that show strong variation over a 24-h period. This hypothesis emphasizes the central role of water transparency in regulating these major drivers of DVM. In less transparent systems, temperature and food are often optimal in the surface waters, visual predators are abundant, and UV radiation levels are low. In contrast, in more transparent systems, vertical thermal gradients tend to be more gradual, food quality and quantity are higher in deeper waters, and visual predator abundance is often lower and damaging UV radiation higher in the surface waters. This transparency-regulator hypothesis provides a more versatile theoretical framework to explain variation in DVM across waters of differing transparency. This hypothesis also enables clearer predictions of how the wide range of ongoing transparency-altering local, regional, and global environmental changes can be expected to influence DVM patterns in both inland and oceanic waters of the world.Diel vertical migrations (DVM) of zooplankton in the world's lakes and oceans comprise some of the most widespread and massive migrations of animals on Earth. These striking migrations across strong vertical habitat gradients have inspired numerous ecological and evolutionary studies addressing mechanisms of habitat selection and consequences for species interactions. These migrations also have important implications for water quality and fisheries production as well as biogeochemical cycling. Natural and anthropogenic environmental changes, such as shifting local land use patterns and regional to global climate change, are altering water transparency and have the potential to affect DVM in lakes and oceans worldwide. The purpose of this article is to provide a common theoretical framework for understanding variation in the drivers of DVM across transparency gradients with a particular emphasis on recent advances in our understanding of the role of ultraviolet radiation (UV).Many environmental factors are recognized as providing both important proximate cues as well as ultimate consequences of adaptive significance for DVM, including light, temperature, food availability, and predation pressures (Table 1; Lampert 1989;Ringelberg 1993;Hays 2003). In spite of the wides...

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“…The concentration of carotenoids was normalized to dry weight calculated from published relationships between length and dry weight for calanoid copepods (Bottrell, Duncan & Gliwcz 1976). Other studies have analysed pigmentation level with help of digital photography (Vestheim & Kaartvedt 2006), but here we applied extraction methods as the total amount of pigments are relevant for the level of UVR protection.…”

Section: P I G M E N T a N D A N T I O X I D A N T A N A L Y S I Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Fish-mediated trait compensation in zooplankton

et al. 2012

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Summary 1. Environmental factors fluctuate spatially and temporally, and organisms that can alter phenotype in response to these changes may increase their fitness. Zooplankton are known to be able to induce body pigmentation in response to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and to reduce the pigmentation when exposed to fish predators. Hence, reduced pigmentation because of the presence of fish could potentially lead to UVR damage, which calls for alternative protective mechanisms. 2. We exposed zooplankton to fish cues and UVR stress to assess whether body pigmentation and cellular antioxidants are flexible predation and UVR defences. 3. Zooplankton exposed to fish predator cues (no direct predation) reduced their pigmentation by c. 30% in 20 days. However, they were able to rapidly counteract negative UVR effects by increasing the activity of antioxidant defences such as glutathione S‐transferase (GST). When exposed to UVR, the GST activity increased by c. 100% in zooplankton that had previously reduced their pigmentation because of fish cues. Transparency in the zooplankton did not lead to considerably higher UVR damage, here measured as inhibition of cholinesterase (ChE). 4. We conclude that zooplankton pigmentation and antioxidant enzymes are flexible UVR defence systems, which can be induced when needed. Zooplankton may employ antioxidant defences when pigmentation is reduced to counteract predation risk and thereby rapidly respond to detrimental effects of UVR exposure, that is, they can compensate one trait with another.

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Plasticity in coloration as an antipredator strategy among zooplankton

Cited by 11 publications

References 21 publications

Carotenoid metabolic profiling and transcriptome‐genome mining reveal functional equivalence among blue‐pigmented copepods and appendicularia

Carotenoid metabolic profiling and transcriptome‐genome mining reveal functional equivalence among blue‐pigmented copepods and appendicularia

Toward a more comprehensive theory of zooplankton diel vertical migration: Integrating ultraviolet radiation and water transparency into the biotic paradigm

Fish-mediated trait compensation in zooplankton

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