Giant protists (xenophyophores) function as fish nurseries

Levin, Lisa A.; Rouse, Greg W.

doi:10.1002/ecy.2933

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Gooday et al (2020b) review the role of xenophyophores as a potentially important source of seafloor heterogeneity in parts of the deep sea where they are an abundant component of the megafauna. Briefly, their tests, whether alive or dead, may (1) enhance the deposition of fine sediment and labile material in their immediate vicinity, creating food-rich hotspots (a likely reason why ophiuroids are often seen coiled around test bases; Levin and Thomas, 1988); (2) provide habitat structure that is utilized for multiple purposes by a wide range of meiofaunal and macrofaunal metazoans (e.g., Levin et al, 1986;Levin, 1991;Levin and Gooday, 1992), foraminifera (Hughes and Gooday, 2004), and even fish (Levin and Rouse, 2019), and (3) host an enhanced and distinctive microflora (Hori et al, 2013). These heterogeneity-enhancing attributes are either known or likely to apply in the CCZ.…”

Section: Role In Food-webs and Carbon Cyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Biodiversity and Distribution of Abyssal Benthic Foraminifera and Their Possible Ecological Roles: A Synthesis Across the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

et al. 2021

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Benthic foraminiferal research in the North Pacific has a long history, with works published over a century ago providing important information about the taxonomy and distribution of morphospecies. These studies focused mainly on areas outside the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). Our knowledge of foraminiferal faunas within the CCZ originates largely from recent baseline investigations related to likely future seabed mining of the polymetallic nodule deposits. These have revealed highly diverse assemblages of sediment-dwelling morphospecies among the meiofauna and macrofauna, as well as megafaunal xenophyophores and nodule-attached fauna. Morphological analyses have been complemented by metabarcoding studies that yielded even higher numbers of molecular species (Operational Taxonomic Units - OTUs). Monothalamids, the vast majority undescribed, constitute a substantial proportion of both morphological and molecular datasets, with multichambered agglutinated and calcareous foraminifera being less common. Their importance in this abyssal (>4,000 m depth) habitat likely reflects food limitation combined with carbonate dissolution close to and below the carbonate compensation depth. Literature records, supported in a few cases by genetic data, suggest that many morphospecies found in the CCZ have wide geographical distributions across the Pacific abyss and in other oceans. At smaller spatial scales (several 100s of kilometers) there is a general uniformity in assemblage composition. Nevertheless, many morphospecies are too rare to conclude anything about their geographical distributions. Similarly, the part played by benthic foraminifera in CCZ ecosystems is largely a matter of speculation, although their abundance across different size classes suggests that it is significant. Meiofauna-sized taxa that consume freshly-deposited organic detritus may be important in carbon cycling, particularly at the shallower, more eutrophic eastern end of the CCZ. Megafaunal xenophyophores can provide habitat structure for other organisms, potentially enhancing benthic biodiversity. Foraminifera of all sizes could be among the earliest recolonisers of disturbed or redeposited sediments. Their potential contributions in terms of both ecology and biodiversity make these protists significant members of benthic communities in the CCZ.

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Section: Role In Food-webs and Carbon Cyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Biodiversity and Distribution of Abyssal Benthic Foraminifera and Their Possible Ecological Roles: A Synthesis Across the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

et al. 2021

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“…However, direct development (without a larval stage) and parental care is common within the liparid family (Priede 2017) and examples exist of mouthbrooding (e.g. Nielsen 1964), as well as depositing eggs in other organisms (Hunter 1969;Levin and Rouse 2019) offering alternative explanations for elevated temperature or changes in habitat chemistry during development. Life history and early development of these deepest living fish groups is an important target for future research.…”

Section: Pressure and Buoyancymentioning

confidence: 99%

Revision of the depth record of bony fishes with notes on hadal snailfishes (Liparidae, Scorpaeniformes) and cusk eels (Ophidiidae, Ophidiiformes)

2021

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Bony fishes are extremely successful in the marine environment, having evolved into nearly every ocean habitat. However, bony fishes do not seem to inhabit the ocean's deepest depths, likely due to constraints of pressure adaptation. How deep do bony fishes live? Relatively few studies have examined the deepest living vertebrates, because sampling in hadal environments, depths 6000-11,000 m, is technologically challenging. Here, we review the literature on records of the deepest living bony fishes. Current depth records are held by the hadal snailfish Pseudoliparis swirei (family Liparidae) in the Mariana Trench, collection depth 7966 m, filmed to 8178 m, and the cusk eel Abyssobrotula galatheae (family Ophidiidae) in the Puerto Rico Trench, collection depth 7965 m. Observations of abyssal and hadal fish communities suggest that hadal snailfishes are endemic to trenches but occasionally cross into abyssal areas. On the other hand, cusk eels dwell on the abyssal plains, but can extend their ranges into the trenches. These habitat differences allow both snailfishes and cusk eels to occupy distinct niches in the greatest ocean depths. We then comment on the ecological and physiological significance of these two major hadal families and present recommendations for future research.

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“…Their contribution to seafloor biomass is therefore much less than their large test size would suggest (Tendal 1979). However, where they are abundant, the tests of xenophyophores and other large agglutinated Foraminifera provide an important source of habitat structure for diverse animal (Gooday et al 1992a;Levin 1991;Levin and Thomas 1988) and foraminiferal assemblages (Hughes and Gooday 2004), and can even serve as nurseries for fish (Levin and Rouse 2020).…”

Section: The Foraminiferal Megafaunamentioning

confidence: 99%

Protist diversity and function in the dark ocean – Challenging the paradigms of deep-sea ecology with special emphasis on foraminiferans and naked protists

Gooday

Schoenle

Dolan

et al. 2020

European Journal of Protistology

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The dark ocean and the underlying deep seafloor together represent the largest environment on this planet, comprising about 80% of the oceanic volume and covering more than twothirds of the Earth's surface, as well as hosting a major part of the total biosphere. Emerging evidence suggests that these vast pelagic and benthic habitats play a major role in ocean biogeochemistry and represent an "untapped reservoir" of high genetic and metabolic microbial diversity. Due to its huge volume, the water column of the dark ocean is the largest reservoir of organic carbon in the biosphere and likely plays a major role in the global carbon budget. The dark ocean and the seafloor beneath it are also home to a largely enigmatic food web comprising little-known and sometimes spectacular organisms, mainly prokaryotes and protists. This review considers the globally important role of pelagic and benthic protists across all protistan size classes in the deep-sea realm, with a focus on their taxonomy, diversity, and physiological properties, including their role in deep microbial food webs. We argue that, given the important contribution that protists must make to deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystem processes, they should not be overlooked in biological studies of the deep ocean.

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Giant protists (xenophyophores) function as fish nurseries

Cited by 12 publications

References 21 publications

The Biodiversity and Distribution of Abyssal Benthic Foraminifera and Their Possible Ecological Roles: A Synthesis Across the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

The Biodiversity and Distribution of Abyssal Benthic Foraminifera and Their Possible Ecological Roles: A Synthesis Across the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

Revision of the depth record of bony fishes with notes on hadal snailfishes (Liparidae, Scorpaeniformes) and cusk eels (Ophidiidae, Ophidiiformes)

Protist diversity and function in the dark ocean – Challenging the paradigms of deep-sea ecology with special emphasis on foraminiferans and naked protists

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