Qualitative assessment of the diet of European eel larvae in the Sargasso Sea resolved by DNA barcoding
European eels (Anguilla anguilla) undertake spawning migrations of more than 5000 km from continental Europe and North Africa to frontal zones in the Sargasso Sea. Subsequently, the larval offspring are advected by large-scale eastward ocean currents towards continental waters. However, the Sargasso...
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:3001378 2023-05-15T13:27:39+02:00 Qualitative assessment of the diet of European eel larvae in the Sargasso Sea resolved by DNA barcoding Riemann, Lasse Alfredsson, Hanna Hansen, Michael M. Als, Thomas D. Nielsen, Torkel G. Munk, Peter Aarestrup, Kim Maes, Gregory E. Sparholt, Henrik Petersen, Michael I. Bachler, Mirjam Castonguay, Martin 2010-12-23 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001378 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20573615 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0411 en eng The Royal Society http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001378 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20573615 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0411 © 2010 The Royal Society Marine Biology Text 2010 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0411 2013-09-03T08:42:40Z European eels (Anguilla anguilla) undertake spawning migrations of more than 5000 km from continental Europe and North Africa to frontal zones in the Sargasso Sea. Subsequently, the larval offspring are advected by large-scale eastward ocean currents towards continental waters. However, the Sargasso Sea is oligotrophic, with generally low plankton biomass, and the feeding biology of eel larvae has so far remained a mystery, hampering understanding of this peculiar life history. DNA barcoding of gut contents of 61 genetically identified A. anguilla larvae caught in the Sargasso Sea showed that even the smallest larvae feed on a striking variety of plankton organisms, and that gelatinous zooplankton is of fundamental dietary importance. Hence, the specific plankton composition seems essential for eel larval feeding and growth, suggesting a linkage between eel survival and regional plankton productivity. These novel insights into the prey of Atlantic eels may furthermore facilitate eel larval rearing in aquaculture, which ultimately may replace the unsustainable use of wild-caught glass eels. Text Anguilla anguilla PubMed Central (PMC) Biology Letters 6 6 819 822 |
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PubMed Central (PMC) |
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ftpubmed |
language |
English |
topic |
Marine Biology |
spellingShingle |
Marine Biology Riemann, Lasse Alfredsson, Hanna Hansen, Michael M. Als, Thomas D. Nielsen, Torkel G. Munk, Peter Aarestrup, Kim Maes, Gregory E. Sparholt, Henrik Petersen, Michael I. Bachler, Mirjam Castonguay, Martin Qualitative assessment of the diet of European eel larvae in the Sargasso Sea resolved by DNA barcoding |
topic_facet |
Marine Biology |
description |
European eels (Anguilla anguilla) undertake spawning migrations of more than 5000 km from continental Europe and North Africa to frontal zones in the Sargasso Sea. Subsequently, the larval offspring are advected by large-scale eastward ocean currents towards continental waters. However, the Sargasso Sea is oligotrophic, with generally low plankton biomass, and the feeding biology of eel larvae has so far remained a mystery, hampering understanding of this peculiar life history. DNA barcoding of gut contents of 61 genetically identified A. anguilla larvae caught in the Sargasso Sea showed that even the smallest larvae feed on a striking variety of plankton organisms, and that gelatinous zooplankton is of fundamental dietary importance. Hence, the specific plankton composition seems essential for eel larval feeding and growth, suggesting a linkage between eel survival and regional plankton productivity. These novel insights into the prey of Atlantic eels may furthermore facilitate eel larval rearing in aquaculture, which ultimately may replace the unsustainable use of wild-caught glass eels. |
format |
Text |
author |
Riemann, Lasse Alfredsson, Hanna Hansen, Michael M. Als, Thomas D. Nielsen, Torkel G. Munk, Peter Aarestrup, Kim Maes, Gregory E. Sparholt, Henrik Petersen, Michael I. Bachler, Mirjam Castonguay, Martin |
author_facet |
Riemann, Lasse Alfredsson, Hanna Hansen, Michael M. Als, Thomas D. Nielsen, Torkel G. Munk, Peter Aarestrup, Kim Maes, Gregory E. Sparholt, Henrik Petersen, Michael I. Bachler, Mirjam Castonguay, Martin |
author_sort |
Riemann, Lasse |
title |
Qualitative assessment of the diet of European eel larvae in the Sargasso Sea resolved by DNA barcoding |
title_short |
Qualitative assessment of the diet of European eel larvae in the Sargasso Sea resolved by DNA barcoding |
title_full |
Qualitative assessment of the diet of European eel larvae in the Sargasso Sea resolved by DNA barcoding |
title_fullStr |
Qualitative assessment of the diet of European eel larvae in the Sargasso Sea resolved by DNA barcoding |
title_full_unstemmed |
Qualitative assessment of the diet of European eel larvae in the Sargasso Sea resolved by DNA barcoding |
title_sort |
qualitative assessment of the diet of european eel larvae in the sargasso sea resolved by dna barcoding |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001378 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20573615 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0411 |
genre |
Anguilla anguilla |
genre_facet |
Anguilla anguilla |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001378 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20573615 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0411 |
op_rights |
© 2010 The Royal Society |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0411 |
container_title |
Biology Letters |
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6 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
819 |
op_container_end_page |
822 |
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1766399585312309248 |