Data from: Predation on feather stars by regular echinoids as evidenced by laboratory and field observations and its paleobiological implications ...

• Main Authors: Stevenson, Angela, Gahn, Forest J., Baumiller, Tomasz K., Sevastopulo, George D.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2016
• Subjects: Koehlermetra porrecta; Echinodermata; feather star; crinophagy; Comatulida; Modern; Cidaris cidaris; Himerometra robustipinna; Isocrinida; Diadema setosum; Tripneustes gratilla; Echinoidea; Anneissia bennetti; Echinometra mathaei; echinoid; Madrepora oculata; Crinoidea; Lophelia pertusa; Lytechinus variegatus; Eucidaris metularia; Echinothrix calamaris; Araeosoma fenestratum; Lamprometra palmata; echinothurioid; Diadema sp.; Holocene
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.6gj58; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.6gj58

Among extant crinoids, the feather stars are the most diverse and occupy the greatest bathymetric range, being especially common in reef environments. Feather stars possess a variety of morphological, behavioral and physiological traits that have been hypothesized to be critical to their success, especially in their ability to cope with predation. However, knowledge of their predators is exceptionally scant, consisting primarily of circumstantial evidence of attacks by fishes. In this study the question whether regular echinoids, recently shown to consume stalked crinoids, also consume feather stars is explored. Aquarium observations indicate that regular echinoids find feather stars palatable, including feather stars known to be distasteful to fish, and that regular echinoids can capture and eat live feather stars, including those known to swim. Gut-content analyses of the echinoid Araeosoma fenestratum (Thomson, 1872), which is commonly observed with large populations of the feather star Koehlermetra ... : Supplementary Table 1Summary of echinoids collected during sampling campaign.Supplementary Table 2Gut content of all specimens (excluding A. fenestratum) collected in Ireland and France. NA – Not applicable; guts absent due to damage upon ascent. ...