Plankton and nekton community structure in the vicinity of the South Sandwich Islands (Southern Ocean) and the influence of environmental factors

Liszka, Cecilia M.; Thorpe, Sally; Wootton, Marianne; Fielding, Sophie; Murphy, Eugene J.; Tarling, Geraint A.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105073

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Their roles in shaping zooplankton community are more or less understood, especially for the temporal change, which influences plankton distribution by inducing diel vertical migrations (Lampert, 1989). In addition, differences between the north‐west and south transects might be related to the Kuroshio current, which constantly passes through Green Island from south to north, and creates different oceanographic conditions (Coyle, 2005; Hernández‐León, 1988; Leis, 1986; Liszka et al., 2022). Oceanic islands and mounts under the influence of strong currents, like the present studied Green Island, play a crucial role in providing nutrients to the surface water layers through upwellings, promoted by water mixing (Acabado et al., 2021; Chen et al., 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential PCR amplification bias in identifying complex ecological patterns: Higher species compositional homogeneity revealed in smaller‐size coral reef zooplankton by metatranscriptomics

Mattos,

Dreyer,

Fong

et al. 2023

Molecular Ecology Resources

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PCR‐based high‐throughput sequencing has permitted comprehensive resolution analyses of zooplankton diversity dynamics. However, significant methodological issues still surround analyses of complex bulk community samples, not least as in prevailing PCR‐based approaches. Marine drifting animals—zooplankton—play essential ecological roles in the pelagic ecosystem, transferring energy and elements to higher trophic levels, such as fishes, cetaceans and others. In the present study, we collected 48 size‐fractionated zooplankton samples in the vicinity of a coral reef island with environmental gradients. To investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of zooplankton diversity patterns and the effect of PCR amplification biases across these complex communities, we first took metatranscriptomics approach. Comprehensive computational analyses revealed a clear pattern of higher/lower homogeneity in smaller/larger zooplankton compositions across samples respectively. Our study thus suggests changes in the role of dispersal across the sizes. Next, we applied in silico PCR to the metatranscriptomics datasets, in order to estimate the extent of PCR amplification bias. Irrespective of stringency criteria, we observed clear separations of size fraction sample clusters in both metatranscriptomics and in silico datasets. In contrast, the pattern—smaller‐fractioned communities had higher compositional homogeneity than larger ones—was observed in the metatranscriptomics data but not in the in silico datasets. To investigate this discrepancy further, we analysed the mismatches of widely used mitochondrial CO1 primers and identified priming site mismatches likely driving PCR‐based biases. Our results suggest the use of metatranscriptomics or, although less ideal, redesigning the CO1 primers is necessary to circumvent these issues.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential PCR amplification bias in identifying complex ecological patterns: Higher species compositional homogeneity revealed in smaller‐size coral reef zooplankton by metatranscriptomics

Mattos,

Dreyer,

Fong

et al. 2023

Molecular Ecology Resources

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Their roles in shaping zooplankton community are more or less understood, especially for the temporal change, which influences plankton distribution by inducing diel vertical migrations (Lampert, 1989). In addition, differences between the North-West and South transects might be related to the Kuroshio current, which constantly passes through Green Island from south to north, and creates different oceanographic conditions (Coyle, 2005;Hernández-León, 1988;Leis, 1986;Liszka et al, 2022). Oceanic islands and mounts under the influence of strong currents, like the present studied Green Island, play a crucial role in providing nutrients to the surface water layers through upwellings, promoted by water mixing (Acabado et al, 2021;Chen et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metatranscriptomics reveals higher species compositional homogeneity in smaller size coral reef zooplankton

Mattos

Fong

Dreyer

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Marine drifting animals — zooplankton — play essential ecological roles in the pelagic ecosystem, transferring energy and elements to higher trophic levels, such as fishes, cetaceans, and others. Zooplankton are generally considered passive drifting organisms homogeneously distributed throughout waters, where high dispersal is expected. Although empirical observations have demonstrated that many species possess active swimming mechanisms that generate metacommunities with high beta diversity, the role of animal sizes in the process of marine zooplankton community dynamics remains unexplored. Here, we collected a total of 48 size-fractionated zooplankton samples in the vicinity of a coral reef island with environmental gradients and performed metatranscriptome analyses. The samples were collected in two transects (from nearshore to offshore) twice a day (morning and night). Sample size fraction was the only variable that rendered apparent differences in species composition between the samples. Our results demonstrate differential dispersal through the size fractions — smaller size fraction communities had higher compositional homogeneity than larger ones. Contrary to expectation, distance to shore had no significant influence on the composition or diversity of zooplankton communities. This study offers novel insights on the use of metatranscriptomics for analyzing community structures and the role size plays for the marine zooplankton community assembly processes.

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“…Lanternfishes (Myctophidae) are an abundant and ecologically important component of Southern Ocean pelagic ecosystems (Murphy et al 2007, Duhamel et al 2014, Liszka et al 2022. Acoustic estimates of mesopelagic fish biomass in this region are as high as 570 million tonnes, with estimates suggesting that this group of fishes may consume in excess of 150 million tonnes of zooplankton annually (Koz 1995, Dornan et al 2022.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the trophic ecology of Southern Ocean Myctophidae: the added value of DNA metabarcoding

Vasiliadis,

Freer,

Collins

et al. 2024

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

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Lanternfishes (Myctophidae) are key components of mesopelagic fish communities globally. In the Southern Ocean, incomplete information on myctophid diets limits our understanding of their energetics, interactions and wider ecosystem impact. Traditional microscopic methods of diet analysis have relatively coarse prey resolution and possible taxonomic and observer biases. DNA metabarcode sequencing promises higher taxonomic and temporal resolution, but uncertainty remains in comparing this is with microscopy-based analyses. Here, we applied 18S DNA metabarcode sequencing to stomach contents from twenty Electrona antarctica individuals which had previously been examined via microscopic analysis. Across all fish, crustacean and gastropod taxa dominated the prey identified via both methods, with broad agreement between methods on the relative abundance of different prey items. DNA metabarcode sequencing recovered greater taxonomic diversity and resolution, particularly for soft-bodied prey items and small crustaceans. DNA sequencing results also more clearly differentiated diet between individuals collected from different environments. Overall, our findings illustrate how DNA based methods are complementary to, and consistent with, traditional methods and can provide additional, high-resolution data on a range of trophic interactions.

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Plankton and nekton community structure in the vicinity of the South Sandwich Islands (Southern Ocean) and the influence of environmental factors

Cited by 8 publications

References 65 publications

Potential PCR amplification bias in identifying complex ecological patterns: Higher species compositional homogeneity revealed in smaller‐size coral reef zooplankton by metatranscriptomics

Potential PCR amplification bias in identifying complex ecological patterns: Higher species compositional homogeneity revealed in smaller‐size coral reef zooplankton by metatranscriptomics

Metatranscriptomics reveals higher species compositional homogeneity in smaller size coral reef zooplankton

Assessing the trophic ecology of Southern Ocean Myctophidae: the added value of DNA metabarcoding

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