Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques
The response of a sub-arctic, deep-sea macrofaunal community to a simulated food sedimentation event was studied by means of a stable isotope “pulse-chase” experiment. A food pulse was simulated by adding 500 mg C m−2 of 13C-labelled diatoms, Chaetoceros radicans, to sediment cores retrieved from 10...
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:511594 2023-05-15T14:26:20+02:00 Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques Gontikaki, E. Mayor, D.J. Narayanaswamy, B.E. Witte, U. 2011-02 http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/511594/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.011 unknown Gontikaki, E.; Mayor, D.J. orcid:0000-0002-1295-0041 Narayanaswamy, B.E.; Witte, U. 2011 Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 58 (2). 160-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.011 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.011> Marine Sciences Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2011 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.011 2023-02-04T19:42:01Z The response of a sub-arctic, deep-sea macrofaunal community to a simulated food sedimentation event was studied by means of a stable isotope “pulse-chase” experiment. A food pulse was simulated by adding 500 mg C m−2 of 13C-labelled diatoms, Chaetoceros radicans, to sediment cores retrieved from 1080 m in the Faroe-Shetland Channel. Carbon uptake by specific macrofaunal groups was quantified after 3 and 6 days of incubation. The carbon uptake of the dominant taxon (Polychaeta) was quantified at the genus-, and where possible, species-level, representing a data resolution that is rare in deep-sea tracer studies. The macrofaunal community reacted rapidly to the diatom addition, with 47% and 70% of the animals illustrating 13C-enrichment after 3 and 6 days, respectively. Approximately 95% of C uptake was located in the upper 2 cm due to the particularly shallow vertical distribution of the macrofaunal community and the nonexistent tracer subduction by burrowing species. Polychaetes of the families Ampharetidae and Cirratulidae were among the most heavily labelled with above background enrichment reaching 1300‰. Approximately 0.8 and 2.0 mg C m−2 were processed by the macrofauna after 3 and 6 days, representing 0.2% and 0.4% of the added carbon, respectively. It was not possible to differentiate sub-surface deposit-feeding polychaetes from predator/scavenger- and omnivorous polychaetes using their natural δ15N signatures. However, the combination of natural abundance δ15N data and 13C-labelling experiments proved to be useful for elucidating trophic relations in deep-sea food webs. This study confirms that macrofauna play an active role in the short-term carbon cycling at bathyal depths even at sub-zero temperatures and highlights the need for detailed knowledge of the community structure in understanding carbon processing patterns and early diagenesis of organic matter in marine sediments. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Arctic Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 58 2 160 172 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Marine Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Marine Sciences Gontikaki, E. Mayor, D.J. Narayanaswamy, B.E. Witte, U. Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques |
topic_facet |
Marine Sciences |
description |
The response of a sub-arctic, deep-sea macrofaunal community to a simulated food sedimentation event was studied by means of a stable isotope “pulse-chase” experiment. A food pulse was simulated by adding 500 mg C m−2 of 13C-labelled diatoms, Chaetoceros radicans, to sediment cores retrieved from 1080 m in the Faroe-Shetland Channel. Carbon uptake by specific macrofaunal groups was quantified after 3 and 6 days of incubation. The carbon uptake of the dominant taxon (Polychaeta) was quantified at the genus-, and where possible, species-level, representing a data resolution that is rare in deep-sea tracer studies. The macrofaunal community reacted rapidly to the diatom addition, with 47% and 70% of the animals illustrating 13C-enrichment after 3 and 6 days, respectively. Approximately 95% of C uptake was located in the upper 2 cm due to the particularly shallow vertical distribution of the macrofaunal community and the nonexistent tracer subduction by burrowing species. Polychaetes of the families Ampharetidae and Cirratulidae were among the most heavily labelled with above background enrichment reaching 1300‰. Approximately 0.8 and 2.0 mg C m−2 were processed by the macrofauna after 3 and 6 days, representing 0.2% and 0.4% of the added carbon, respectively. It was not possible to differentiate sub-surface deposit-feeding polychaetes from predator/scavenger- and omnivorous polychaetes using their natural δ15N signatures. However, the combination of natural abundance δ15N data and 13C-labelling experiments proved to be useful for elucidating trophic relations in deep-sea food webs. This study confirms that macrofauna play an active role in the short-term carbon cycling at bathyal depths even at sub-zero temperatures and highlights the need for detailed knowledge of the community structure in understanding carbon processing patterns and early diagenesis of organic matter in marine sediments. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gontikaki, E. Mayor, D.J. Narayanaswamy, B.E. Witte, U. |
author_facet |
Gontikaki, E. Mayor, D.J. Narayanaswamy, B.E. Witte, U. |
author_sort |
Gontikaki, E. |
title |
Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques |
title_short |
Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques |
title_full |
Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques |
title_fullStr |
Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques |
title_full_unstemmed |
Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques |
title_sort |
feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-arctic macrofauna of the faroe-shetland channel: combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/511594/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.011 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic |
op_relation |
Gontikaki, E.; Mayor, D.J. orcid:0000-0002-1295-0041 Narayanaswamy, B.E.; Witte, U. 2011 Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 58 (2). 160-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.011 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.011> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.011 |
container_title |
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers |
container_volume |
58 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
160 |
op_container_end_page |
172 |
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1766298851176611840 |