Gelatinous larvacean zooplankton can enhance trophic transfer and carbon sequestration

Jaspers, Cornelia; Hopcroft, Russell R.; Kiørboe, Thomas; Lombard, Fabien; López‐Urrutia, Ángel; Everett, Jason D.; Richardson, Anthony J.

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2023.05.005

Cited by 20 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…However, the estimated organic carbon demand by mesopelagic and deeper biota exceeds by two to three orders of magnitude the vertical supply of POC ( Burd et al ., 2010 ; Jørgensen et al ., 2022 ), suggesting unaccounted sources of carbon in the vertical fluxes. While phytoplankton aggregates and fecal pellets represent a notorious component of POC fluxes ( Turner, 2015 ), zooplankton-derived sinking particles like carcasses, exuviae and tunicate houses are only lately recognized as significant elements of the vertical carbon flux ( Henschke et al ., 2013 ; Manno et al ., 2020 ; Halfter et al ., 2022 ; Jaspers et al ., 2023 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrostatic pressure impedes the degradation of sinking copepod carcasses and fecal pellets

Franco-Cisterna,

Stief,

Glud

2024

Journal of Plankton Research

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Fast-sinking zooplankton carcasses and fecal pellets appear to contribute significantly to the vertical transport of particulate organic carbon (POC), partly because of low temperature that decreases microbial degradation during the descent into the deep ocean. Increasing hydrostatic pressure could further reduce the degradation efficiency of sinking POC, but this effect remains unexplored. Here, the degradation of carcasses and fecal pellets of the abundant marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus was experimentally studied as a function of pressure (0.1–100 MPa). Samples were either exposed to elevated pressure in short 1-day incubations or a gradual pressure increase, simulating continuous particle sinking during a 20-day incubation. Both experiments revealed gradual inhibition of microbial respiration in the pressure range of 20–100 MPa, corresponding to 2–10-km depth. This suggests that hydrostatic pressure impedes carbon mineralization of fast-sinking carcasses and fecal pellets and enhances the deep-sea deposition rate of zooplankton-derived organic material.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrostatic pressure impedes the degradation of sinking copepod carcasses and fecal pellets

Franco-Cisterna,

Stief,

Glud

2024

Journal of Plankton Research

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“…Further support for the idea that a growth-differentiation trade-off selects for decoupling is provided by species that forego metamorphosis at least partially and obtain high growth rates. This for example applies to the neotenic Larvaceans, a group of tunicates, which have one of the fastest growth rates of all animals ( 29 ). Similar results have also been reported in salamanders where paedomorphic individuals, individuals that forego metamorphosis, enjoy an advantage under good growth conditions ( 30 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid growth and the evolution of complete metamorphosis in insects

Manthey,

E Metcalf,

Monaghan

et al. 2024

Preprint

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More than 60% of all animal species are insects that undergo complete metamorphosis. The key innovation of these holometabolous insects is a pupal stage between the larva and adult when most structures are completely rebuilt. Why this extreme lifestyle evolved is unclear. Here we test the hypothesis that a trade-off between growth and differentiation explains the evolution of this novelty. Using a comparative approach, we find that holometabolous insects grow much faster than hemimetabolous insects. Using a theoretical model, we then show how holometaboly evolves under a growth-differentiation trade-off and identify conditions under which such temporal decoupling of growth and differentiation is favored. Our work supports the notion that the holometabolous life history evolved to remove developmental constraints on fast growth, primarily under high mortality.

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“…Large uncertainties still remain about the mechanisms driving the biological pump, particularly regarding the role of food web structure and different zooplankton taxa in regulating carbon export (Boyd et al., 2019; Burd et al., 2016). One crucial knowledge gap is the role of gelatinous zooplankton, a diverse taxonomic group (comprising cnidarians, ctenophores, and pelagic tunicates) that has recently experienced a growing recognition as a potentially important component of the biological pump (Jaspers et al., 2023; Luo et al., 2020; Steinberg et al., 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Appendicularians are pelagic tunicates that are often considered to be the second‐most abundant mesozooplankton group in the ocean, after copepods (Gorsky & Fenaux, 1998; Hopcroft & Roff, 1998; Jaspers et al., 2023) (and during blooms even exceeding copepod abundances; Questel et al., 2013). Appendicularians feed efficiently and at high rates, mostly on small particles in the pico‐ and nanoplankton size range (Flood, 1978; Lombard et al., 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to these peculiar characteristics, appendicularians are thought to play an important role in carbon export and the biological pump (Jaspers et al., 2023). However, quantifying this role has remained difficult, let alone achieving a mechanistic understanding of how appendicularian blooms influence pelagic food web structure and carbon export.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO₂ ocean

Taucher,

Lechtenbörger,

Bouquet

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

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Gelatinous zooplankton are increasingly recognized to play a key role in the ocean's biological carbon pump. Appendicularians, a class of pelagic tunicates, are among the most abundant gelatinous plankton in the ocean, but it is an open question how their contribution to carbon export might change in the future. Here, we conducted an experiment with large volume in situ mesocosms (~55–60 m3 and 21 m depth) to investigate how ocean acidification (OA) extreme events affect food web structure and carbon export in a natural plankton community, particularly focusing on the keystone species Oikopleura dioica, a globally abundant appendicularian. We found a profound influence of O. dioica on vertical carbon fluxes, particularly during a short but intense bloom period in the high CO2 treatment, during which carbon export was 42%–64% higher than under ambient conditions. This elevated flux was mostly driven by an almost twofold increase in O. dioica biomass under high CO2. This rapid population increase was linked to enhanced fecundity (+20%) that likely resulted from physiological benefits of low pH conditions. The resulting competitive advantage of O. dioica resulted in enhanced grazing on phytoplankton and transfer of this consumed biomass into sinking particles. Using a simple carbon flux model for O. dioica, we estimate that high CO2 doubled the carbon flux of discarded mucous houses and fecal pellets, accounting for up to 39% of total carbon export from the ecosystem during the bloom. Considering the wide geographic distribution of O. dioica, our findings suggest that appendicularians may become an increasingly important vector of carbon export with ongoing OA.

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Gelatinous larvacean zooplankton can enhance trophic transfer and carbon sequestration

Cited by 20 publications

References 89 publications

Hydrostatic pressure impedes the degradation of sinking copepod carcasses and fecal pellets

Hydrostatic pressure impedes the degradation of sinking copepod carcasses and fecal pellets

Rapid growth and the evolution of complete metamorphosis in insects

The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO₂ ocean

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Gelatinous larvacean zooplankton can enhance trophic transfer and carbon sequestration

Cited by 20 publications

References 89 publications

Hydrostatic pressure impedes the degradation of sinking copepod carcasses and fecal pellets

Hydrostatic pressure impedes the degradation of sinking copepod carcasses and fecal pellets

Rapid growth and the evolution of complete metamorphosis in insects

The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO2 ocean

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO₂ ocean