[Coral-List] Antartic animal forest gorgonians
Sergio Rossi
sergio.rossi at uab.cat
Fri Mar 15 06:28:49 EDT 2013
Dear collegues,
is a pleasure to present a small contribution to the trophic ecology of
Antarctic gorgonians, which is largely unknown. I know they are far from
our warmest coral reefs, but I found the topic in line with actual
investigations in other complex communities dominated by suspension
feeders. The paper uses indirect tools to better understand the trophic
ecology of seven gorgonian species in the probably less known animal
forest all over the world.
ABSTRACT: The trophic ecology of Antarctic anthozoans and their role in
benthic−pelagic coupling
processes is poorly understood. We studied 7 gorgonian species
(/Primnoisis/ sp., /Fannyella/
/nodosa/, /Ainigmaptilon antarcticum/, /Notisis/ sp., /Primnoella/ sp..,
/Dasystenella/ sp. and /Thouarella/
sp.) in 2 Antarctic regions: the Eastern Weddell Sea and the Bransfield
Strait (Antarctic Peninsula)
in austral autumn 2000, a period in which primary productivity
drastically decreases. We aimed at
finding the main food sources for these gorgonians and to elucidate the
strategies of the 7 species
in this season, relating the obtained data with their biology and
ecology. Stable isotope data of the
7 gorgonian species was virtually the same as that measured in the
phytodetritus of the so called
‘green carpets’ and in microzooplankton (δ13C from −27.7 to −24.8‰; δ15N
from 4.1 to 7.5‰). A
large proportion of the gorgonian’s diet seems to be based on sedimented
and resuspended material,
which supports the hypothesis that some suspension feeders deal
successfully with the
Antarctic winter by consuming phytoplankton sedimented in the ‘green
carpets’. While stable isotope
analysis suggested similar food sources for 7 species, the biochemical
balance indicated different
energy storage as lipid values (mean ±SD) ranged from 105.1 ± 99 to
776.4 ± 354.1 μg lipids
mg−1 organic matter depending on the species. Our results contribute to
a better understanding of
the trophic ecology of benthic Antarctic gorgonians and their strategies
for coping with autumn
conditions in this polar environment.
In
Elias-Piera F, Rossi S, Gili JM, Orejas C (2013) Trophic ecology of
seven Antarctic gorgonian species through stable isotope and biochemical
analysis. /Marine Ecology Progress Series /477: 93-106
All the best,
Sergio.
--
Dr. Sergio Rossi
Institut de Ciència I Tecnologia Ambientals ICTA
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona UAB
UAB Campus Cn s/n
Cerdanyola del Vallés 08193
Barcelona SPAIN
Tel 34 (93) 5814219
Fax 34 (93) 5813331
http://icta.uab.es/
http://www.uklitag.com/site/authors_new.php
Skype contact sergio2605
Sergio.Rossi at uab.cat
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