Feeding strategies and diet composition of four Antarctic cnidarian species

8 pages, 6 figures, 1 table The diet of four species of Antarctic cnidarians, two hydroids and two anthozoans, was investigated. One hydroid, Tubularia ralphii, and one anthozoan, Anthomastus bathyproctus, seem to basically consume zooplankton whereas the other hydroid species, Oswaldella antarctica...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: Orejas, Covadonga, Gili, Josep Maria, López-González, Pablo J., Arntz, Wolf E.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Springer 2001
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Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/244466
https://doi.org/10.1007/s003000100272
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Summary:8 pages, 6 figures, 1 table The diet of four species of Antarctic cnidarians, two hydroids and two anthozoans, was investigated. One hydroid, Tubularia ralphii, and one anthozoan, Anthomastus bathyproctus, seem to basically consume zooplankton whereas the other hydroid species, Oswaldella antarctica, has a diet mainly based on the fine fraction of seston. The last cnidarian investigated, the stoloniferan alcyonacean, Clavularia cf. frankliniana, feeds mainly on resuspended material. The wide range of diets of these Antarctic cnidarians indicates opportunistic behaviour by feeding on different sources and taking advantage of the available food sources. Data related to low C/N ratios in the sediment and high NO2 concentrations in areas with dense communities of benthic suspension feeders, along with data on capture rates, lead us to hypothesize that these organisms play an important role in the recycling processes of organic matter in Antarctic benthic ecosystems