Methodological bias in the estimations of important meroplanktonic components from near-shore bottoms

Mariani, Simone; Uriz, María Jesús; Turon, Xavier

doi:10.3354/meps253067

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…A diminished larval supply might explain the poor colonization of the substratum at the most internal zones of the caves, since larvae of the main benthic taxa living inside the caves (sponges, bryozoans and ascidians) have not been found in the corresponding planktonic compartment (Palau et al, 1991). However, the di⁄culty in larval iden-ti¢cation of several Phyla (mainly sponges, Mariani et al, 2003) casts some doubt on the absence of larvae in these caves.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the number of sponge species and their coverage clearly decreased from the external to the internal zone in the Medes cave, both descriptors reached the highest values in the innermost zone (Zone 4) of the Cabrera cave. The di¡erences in species composition (only 38 species out of 62 were present in both the caves) may be due to the geographical isolation of both the caves, and the low dispersal capacity of sponges (Harmelin, 1985;Mariani et al, 2003). When we compare the sponge species composition of the caves studied with that of other Mediterranean caves (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Benthic assemblages in two Mediterranean caves: species diversity and coverage as a function of abiotic parameters and geographic distance

et al. 2004

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Benthic assemblages of two Mediterranean submarine caves were compared. Species coverage and number of species were lower in internal (dark) communities than external. This feature was specially marked in the less illuminated cave. Ordination analyses performed on species coverage per community for each cave separately, distinguished several benthic communities from the outermost to the innermost zone of each cave. Cluster analyses on species coverage, taking into account all communities in both the caves, established similarities among communities: algal-dominated communities clustered according to the level of light received independently of the cave they inhabited, while animal-dominated communities were more similar within each cave than between the caves. Moreover, among the abiotic parameters measured irradiance was the only factor that clearly diminished from the entrance to the innermost zone in both the caves. In contrast, water movement and particulate organic matter varied differently in each cave. Results indicate that the different topography, depth and geographic location of the two caves determine water movement, light penetration and nutrient availability along the caves. These factors are responsible for determining species abundance and diversity, as well as species growth habit in each community.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benthic assemblages in two Mediterranean caves: species diversity and coverage as a function of abiotic parameters and geographic distance

et al. 2004

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“…High recovery levels up to 80% are achieved with this methodology (Theron, 1986). Difficulties associated with inappropriate sampling techniques have previously been highlighted with marine lecithotrophic meroplankton (Mariani et al, 2003) suggesting such problems may be widespread. Clearly therefore, techniques used for traditional freshwater zooplankton studies are unsuitable, both in terms of net mesh size and the rough handling involved, to successfully collect and identify cercariae in sufficient numbers to be able to properly evaluate their presence in ecosystems.…”

Section: Cercariae Within the Zooplankton Community: Practical Considmentioning

confidence: 94%

Cercariae (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda) as neglected components of zooplankton communities in freshwater habitats

Morley

2012

Hydrobiologia

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Zooplanktonic animals live in the open water of freshwater habitats, whilst trematodes are ubiquitous parasitic worms of aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates. A defining characteristic of trematode life cycles is the cercariae, a mainly planktonic freeliving larval stage that emerges into the aquatic environment from infected molluscan hosts. Cercariae are lecithotrophic (non-feeding) larvae analogous of meroplankton. Although millions of planktonic cercariae enter freshwater habitats on a daily basis and are capable of forming into dense clouds, they are a largely neglected component of the zooplankton community, rarely mentioned in faunal studies. Nevertheless, there is increasing evidence to suggest that cercariae have important secondary roles in aquatic food webs and energy transfer. This article reacquaints freshwater biologists with cercariae, highlighting the key characteristics of their biology and population dynamics, their role in food webs, public health and veterinary importance, and the risk of increased population densities under the influence of climate change. The reasons for their neglect in freshwater biology is evaluated and considered to be associated with zooplankton sampling methodologies being unsuitable for collecting cercariae and the paucity of identification keys in the limnological literature.

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“…To perform the samplings in a single dive the net was connected to a 60-ml syringe by means of a plastic funnel. After each sampling the net contents were extracted while underwater with a syringe that was used as container for samples (see Mariani et al 2000Mariani et al , 2003Mariani et al , 2005a for more details). The samples were transported to the laboratory immediately after collection and sorted in vivo to identify the sponge larvae.…”

Section: Assessing Adult and Larval Distributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sponge larvae are ideal organisms to test dispersal strategies because they are uniformly non-feeding and short-lived (except for rare known exceptions). Mariani et al (2003) have shown that assemblages of sponge larvae remain in the immediate vicinity of parental habitats on a northwest Mediterranean rocky shore. Retention seems the most probable pattern for sponge larval dispersal in the Weld since they reputedly live only a few hours in the plankton (Maldonado and Bergquist 2002) and have virtually never been collected in oV-shore plankton .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal strategies in sponge larvae: integrating the life history of larvae and the hydrologic component

et al. 2006

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While known to be uniformly non-feeding, short-lived, and potentially short dispersing, sponge larvae display different behaviours (swimming ability and taxis). Our aim was to show whether sponge larvae with different behaviours exhibit different dispersal strategies under variable intensity of water movements. We first assessed the distribution of larvae of six taxa: Dictyoceratida spp., Dysidea avara, Crambe crambe, Phorbas tenacior, Scopalina lophyropoda, and Cliona viridis, collected through plankton sampling, and the abundance of the corresponding adult sponges across three hard bottom communities and a sandy bottom from a north-west Mediterranean rocky shore. We then tested adult-larvae couplings (abundance of larvae vs abundance of adults) under increasing levels of water movements (surge) to assess the importance of this environmental factor in driving differences in dispersal strategies. Adults of Dictyoceratida spp., D. avara, and P. tenacior were most abundant in semi-dark caves (SDC), C. crambe and C. viridis in communities of sciaphilic algae (SA), whereas the distribution of S. lophyropoda was extremely patchy, being present almost only in the SA community of one of the five stations studied. Larvae of Dictyoceratida spp. and P. tenacior were more abundant in the SDC, whereas D. avara and C. crambe were homogeneously distributed across the communities. The larvae of C. viridis were more abundant in the SA communities and the S. lophyropoda larvae were mostly present in one station and one community (SA). Increased water movement did not modify the adult-larvae coupling for Dictyoceratida spp., D. avara, and C. crambe, whereas it broke up the positive association for P. tenacior and to some extent S. lophyropoda. For C. viridis, possible variability in adult-larvae coupling was not tested because the larvae were collected on only one day under calm sea conditions. We confirm that efficient-swimming larvae with some cue response can actively counteract hydrodynamic forces and highlight the importance of both larval behaviour and environmental conditions in determining small-scale patterns of dispersal.

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Methodological bias in the estimations of important meroplanktonic components from near-shore bottoms

Cited by 11 publications

References 32 publications

Benthic assemblages in two Mediterranean caves: species diversity and coverage as a function of abiotic parameters and geographic distance

Benthic assemblages in two Mediterranean caves: species diversity and coverage as a function of abiotic parameters and geographic distance

Cercariae (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda) as neglected components of zooplankton communities in freshwater habitats

Dispersal strategies in sponge larvae: integrating the life history of larvae and the hydrologic component

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