DNA identification of the phyllosoma diet of<i>Jasus edwardsii</i>and<i>Scyllarus</i>sp. Z

Connell, SC; O’Rorke, Richard; Jeffs, Andrew G.; Lavery, Shane

doi:10.1080/00288330.2014.914042

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…These high-throughput amplicon sequencing technologies have extremely high detection sensitivity and bypass the biases posed by visual methods. Recently, the application of DNA metabarcoding to marine predator gut contents has demonstrated the capacity of these methods to detect gelatinous prey [18][19][20][21][22]. In the study of gelatinous zooplankton as consumers, this technology has only been applied to assess the microbial diet of the tunicate Salpa thompsoni [23], the predatory diet of the scyphomedusa Aurelia coerulea [24], and the diet of the lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the secret diets of siphonophores (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) using DNA metabarcoding

et al. 2022

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Siphonophores (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) are abundant and diverse gelatinous predators in open-ocean ecosystems. Due to limited access to the midwater, little is known about the diets of most deep-dwelling gelatinous species, which constrains our understanding of food-web structure and nutrient flow in these vast ecosystems. Visual gut-content methods can rarely identify soft-bodied rapidly-digested prey, while observations from submersibles often overlook small prey items. These methods have been differentially applied to shallow and deep siphonophore taxa, confounding habitat and methodological biases. DNA metabarcoding can be used to assess both shallow and deep species’ diets under a common methodological framework, since it can detect both small and gelatinous prey. We (1) further characterized the diets of open-ocean siphonophores using DNA metabarcoding, (2) compared the prey detected by visual and molecular methods to evaluate their technical biases, and (3) evaluated tentacle-based predictions of diet. To do this, we performed DNA metabarcoding analyses on the gut contents of 39 siphonophore species across depths to describe their diets, using six barcode regions along the 18S gene. Taxonomic identifications were assigned using public databases combined with local zooplankton sequences. We identified 55 unique prey items, including crustaceans, gelatinous animals, and fish across 47 siphonophore specimens in 24 species. We reported 29 novel predator-prey interactions, among them the first insights into the diets of nine siphonophore species, many of which were congruent with the dietary predictions based on tentilla morphology. Our analyses detected both small and gelatinous prey taxa underrepresented by visual methods in species from both shallow and deep habitats, indicating that siphonophores play similar trophic roles across depth habitats. We also reveal hidden links between siphonophores and filter-feeders near the base of the food web. This study expands our understanding of the ecological roles of siphonophores in the open ocean, their trophic roles within the ‘jelly-web’, and the importance of their diversity for nutrient flow and ecosystem functioning. Understanding these inconspicuous yet ubiquitous predator-prey interactions is critical to predict the impacts of climate change, overfishing, and conservation policies on oceanic ecosystems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the secret diets of siphonophores (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) using DNA metabarcoding

et al. 2022

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“…This has been substantiated by captive observations of Palinurid and Scyllarid phyllosoma feeding on gelatinous zooplankton (Saunders et al., ; Wakabayashi, Sato, Hirai, & Tanaka, ), with additional evidence provided by mouth and gut morphologies that appear suited to feed on soft, fleshy foods, such as gelatinous zooplankton and detritus (Mikami, Greenwood, & Takashima, ), as well as other adaptations to resist stinging nematocysts (Kamio, Wakabayashi, Nagai, & Tanaka, ; Kamio et al., ; Wakabayashi, Nagai, & Tanaka, ). Most phyllosoma are widely thought to be generalist predators (Connell, O'Rorke, Jeffs, & Lavery, ; Jeffs, Nichols, Phleger, & Mooney, ; Saunders et al., ) and attach to medusae in a non‐selective manner (Wakabayashi, Sato, Hirai, & Tanaka, ). The two hypotheses of phyllosoma utilizing gelatinous zooplankton as transport assistants or food resources may not be mutually exclusive because there could be multiple benefits that maintain the phyllosoma‐jelly association.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between lobster phyllosoma and gelatinous zooplankton in relation to oceanographic properties in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Greer

Briseño‐Avena

Deary

et al. 2017

Fisheries Oceanography

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Lobster phyllosoma are known to associate with large cnidarian medusae; however, direct quantitative observations are difficult because gelatinous zooplankton are extremely fragile, and the phyllosoma easily detach from their host when sampled by plankton nets. We provide the first large scale quantitative information of the distribution of this association using an in situ imaging system, with synoptic measurements of water column properties. All phyllosoma were identified as slipper lobsters (Scyllarus chacei) and were associated with previously unreported “hosts” such as small hydromedusae, doliolids, and siphonophores in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Along the shelf, phyllosoma were more likely to be present at greater depths and higher salinities. Approximately 30% of the 347 lobster phyllosoma imaged were attached to at least one gelatinous organism, and salinity and depth were positively related to the probability of attachment on 30 October, but did not show a significant relationship for the other days of sampling. Many of the phyllosoma were larger than the gelatinous organisms to which they were attached, and some gelatinous zooplankton showed damage likely from feeding by the phyllosoma. In this coastal environment, gelatinous zooplankton tended to be more abundant in the same offshore region where phyllosoma occurred, so these gelatinous “hosts” may provide a steady food supply in the more oligotrophic waters on the outer shelf. Similar complex interactions among zooplankton may influence the life histories of other species, hindering our ability to forecast ecosystem level processes until the population level consequences of species interactions are fully understood.

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“…The use of probiotic bacteria as additives to commercial formulated feeds were tested by Hadi et al (2014) in feeding trials of New Zealand black-footed abalone (Haliotis iris), showing positive improvements in growth rates. Using DNA sequencing techniques, Connell et al (2014) identified a range of zooplankton prey in the natural diet of phyllosoma of crayfish (Jasus edwardsii) and slipper lobster (Scyllarus sp. Z), with significant implications for future development of effective artificial diets for crustacean larvae.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%