Born to lose. I. Measures of tissue loss and regeneration by the brittlestar Microphiopholis gracillima (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea)

Effects of sediment organic matter quality on bioaccumulation, degradation, and distribution of pyrene in two macrofaunal species and their surrounding sediment

“…The coupling between arm regeneration and environmental conditions thus appear highly complex. Bannister (2004) furthermore report arm regeneration to be highly temperature dependent in A. filiformis, a feature correlating with field measurements of seasonal variations in regeneration rates observed among ophiurids (Sköld, Loo & Rosenberg, 1994, Stancyk, Golde, Papelindstrom & Dobson, 1994. Arm regeneration rates were comparably low in our study (0.13 mm d -1 ) (Nilsson & Sköld, 1996, Gunnarsson et al, 1999a.…”

Frequency of sublethal injury in a deepwater ophiuroid, Ophiacantha bidentata, an important component of western Atlantic Lophelia reef communities

“…Ophiuroid linkages in marine food webs have been documented and sublethal prédation can be a significant pathway of secondary-production energy flow (Stancyk et al 1994a;Gielazyn et al 1999). Prédation on ophiuroids by fishes, shrimps, polychaetes, asteroids, crabs, and other ophiuroids have been reported (Aronson 1987;Wassenberg and Hill 1987;Feder and Pearson 1988;Munday 1993;Pape-Lindstrom et al 1997).…”

“…Prédation on ophiuroids by fishes, shrimps, polychaetes, asteroids, crabs, and other ophiuroids have been reported (Aronson 1987;Wassenberg and Hill 1987;Feder and Pearson 1988;Munday 1993;Pape-Lindstrom et al 1997). Thus, if injuries reflect high levels of sublethal prédation, then O. bidentata may provide a "renewable resource pool" (Stancyk et al 1994a) to the deep-water Lophelia community that may otherwise be dependent upon exogenous sources of nutrients.…”

“…Where dense aggregations occur, ophiuroids provide an important link in trophic dynamics of deep-sea communities (Pearson and Gage 1984;Pomory and Lawrence 2001;Stancyk et al 1994a;Summers and Nybakken 2000). Most ophiuroids are omnivorous, feeding on detritus, suspended organic material, small epifauna, and infaunal organisms.…”

Sublethal predation:field measurements of arm tissue loss from the ophiuroid Microphiopholis gracillima and immunochemical identification of its predators in North Inlet, South Carolina, USA

“…Several studies have documented extensive tissue loss in amphiurld brittlestars collected from their native environments (Buchanan 1964, Singletary 1980, Bowmer & Keegan 1983, Stancyk et al 1994, Skold & Rosenberg 1996. Arm regeneration rates and frequency of scarring in brittlestar arm populations form the basis o f existing estimates of energy flow due to sublethal predation on ophiuroids (Duineveld & Va.n Noort 1986, O'Connor et al 1986).…”