Tracing and regulating redox homeostasis of model benthic ecosystems for sustainable aquaculture in coastal environments

Abstract

Aquaculture in coastal environments has an increasingly important role in the world’s food supply; however, the accumulation of organic compounds on seafloors due to overfeeding adversely affects benthic ecosystems. To assess the ecological resilience of aquafarms to nutrient influx, we investigated the redox homeostasis of benthic ecosystems using a marine oligochaete as a model benthic organism in aquaculture fields. Real-time monitoring of the redox potential of a model benthic ecosystem constructed in an electrochemical reactor allowed evaluation of the homeostatic response of the system to nutrient addition. Although the detrimental effects of overfeeding were confirmed by irreversible potential changes in the sediment, redox homeostasis was reinforced through a cooperative relationship between oligochaetes and sediment microorganisms. Specifically, the oligochaetes exhibited reversible changes in metabolism and body position in response to dynamic changes in the sediment potential between −300 and 500 mV, thereby promoting the decomposition of organic compounds. The potential-dependent changes in metabolism and body position were reproduced by artificially manipulating the sediment potential in electrochemical reactors. Given the importance of benthic animals in sustaining coastal ecosystems, the electrochemical monitoring and physiologic regulation of marine oligochaetes could offer an intriguing approach toward sustainable aquaculture.

An evaluation of homeostatic plasticity for ecosystems using an analytical data science approach

“…The Japanese study focuses on estuarine sediments and uses abundant sediment polypeptide and mineral profiles along with microbial structure to demonstrate significant estuarine eutrophication in the Kanto region [71] . In particular, such eutrophicated mad sediment can be evaluated by electronic potentials, such as redox homeostasis: thus, regulation of redox homeostasis can be one of the critical factors for environmental purification [72] . Another report describes a strategy for integrating and understanding the data obtained by omics analysis of surface water samples from 681 sites in Japan, grouped into three clusters, through machine learning, factor mapping, and predictive-error variance decomposition [73] .…”