Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Feeding ecology of benthopelagic zooplankton on an eastern tropical Pacific seamount

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The gut contents of dominant deep-sea benthic boundary layer zooplankton (primarily copepods and mysids) and the vacuole contents of phaeodarians collected and preserved in situ at four depths (from 724 to 3112 m) on an eastern tropical Pacific seamount (Volcano 7; 13°23′N, 102°27′W) between 23 November and 4 December 1988 were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Suspended, and sinking plus resuspended particles, were quantitatively sampled to characterize potential food sources. The broad oxygen minimum characteristic of this region intersects the summit of the seamount and affects the feeding ecology of these organisms. Several copepods and mysids and an amphipod contained guts packed with what appeared to be gram-positive bacteria, an unusual finding. We hypothesize that the source of these bacteria-like bodies was a mat or aggregate that originated in the oxygen minimum or at its upper or lower interface. The presence of the bacteria-like bodies in 43 to 100% of the particlefeeding zooplankton that were sectioned and that had gut contents, suggests that the bacteria-like bodies are an important food source. The diverse gut and vacuole contents of other detritivores were similar among depths. Particles and microorganisms from the depths were also similar. This finding can be explained by the rapid sinking of particles and aggregates from surface waters and their relatively intact transit through the broad oxygen minimum with its reduced populations of zooplankton. The presence of algal cells in guts and vacuoles of benthic boundary-layer zooplankton suggests that these zooplankton select particles of recent surface origin for consumption. The presence of the guts filled with bacteria-like bodies shows that some deep-sea copepods and mysids that are normally generalist feeders can specialize opportunistically. The similarity of gut contents of crustaceans and vacuole contents of phaeodarians suggests that these two very different groups of particle feeders utilize similar food sources in the deep sea.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Anderson, O. R. (1975). A possible origin of some olive-green cells in aphotic marine environments. Limnol. Oceanogr. 20: 1000–1004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alldredge, A. L., Silver, M. W. (1988). Characteristics, dynamics, and significance of marine snow. Progr. Oceanogr. 20: 41–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Angel, M. V. (1990). Life in the benthic boundary layer: connections to the mid-water and sea floor. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. (Ser. A) 331: 15–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Angel, M. V., Baker, A. (1982). Vertical distribution of the standing crop of plankton and micronekton at three stations in the northeast Atlantic. Biol. Oceanogr. 2: 1–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Batiza, R. (1980). Origin and petrology of young oceanic central volcanoes: are most tholeiitic rather than alkalic? Geology (Boulder, Colorado) 8: 477–482

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beers, J., Stewart, G. (1971). Micro-zooplankton in the plankton communities of the upper waters of the eastern tropical Pacific. Deep-Sea Res. 18: 861–883

    Google Scholar 

  • Burnett, B. R. (1981). Quantitative sampling of nanobiota (microbiota) of the deep-sea benthos — III. The bathyal San Diego Trough. Deep-Sea Res. 28: 649–663

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnett, W. C., Landing, W. M., Lyons, W. B., Orem, W. (1989). Jellyfish Lake, Palau. A model anoxic environment for geochemical studies. EOS, Trans., Am. geophys. Un. 70: 777–778, 783

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chindonova, Y. G. (1959). The nutrition of certain groups of abyssal macroplankton in the northwestern area of the Pacific Ocean. Trudÿ Inst. Okeanol. 30: 166–189

    Google Scholar 

  • Chisholm, S. W., Olson, R. J., Zettler, E. R., Goericke, R., Waterbury, J. B., Weslchmeyer, N. A. (1988). A novel free-living prochlorophyte abundant in the oceanic euphotic zone. Nature, Lond. 334: 340–343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, A. (1980). Enhanced detection of bacteria in natural environments by fluorochrome staining of DNA. Limnol. Oceanogr. 25: 948–951

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cowen, J. P., Bruland, K. W. (1985). Metal deposits associated with bacteria: implications for Fe and Mn marine biogeochemistry. Deep-Sea Res. 32: 253–272

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cowen, J. P., Li, Y. H. (1991). The influence of a changing bacterial community on trace metal scavenging in a deep-sea particle plume. J. mar. Res. 49: 517–542

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cowen, J. P., Massoth, G. J., Feeley, R. A. (1990). Scavenging rates of dissolved manganese in a hydrothermal vent plume. Deep-Sea Res. 37: 1619–1637

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cowen, J. P., Silver, M. W. (1984). The association of iron and manganese with bacteria on marine macroparticulate material. Science, N. Y. 224: 1340–1342

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cowles, T. J., Olson, R. J., Chisholm, S. W. (1988). Food selection by copepods: discrimination on the basis of food quality. Mar. Biol. 100: 41–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Epp, L. G., Frost, S. K. (1985). Pigments and pigment cells in developing axolotls, wild type and mutant. In: Bagnara, J., Klaus, S. N., Paul, E., Schartl, M. (eds.) Pigment cell 1985, biological, molecular and clinical aspects of pigmentation; University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, p. 283–290

    Google Scholar 

  • Fournier, R. O. (1970). Studies on pigmented microorganisms from aphotic marine environments. Limnol. Oceanogr. 15: 675–682

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, W. D. (1980). Field assessment of sediment traps. J. mar. Res. 38: 41–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Gowing, M. M. (1986). Trophic biology of phaeodarian radiolarians and flux of living radiolarians in the upper 2000 m of the North Pacific central gyre. Deep-Sea Res. 33: 655–674

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gowing, M. M. (1989). Abundance and feeding ecology of Antarctic phaeodarian radiolarians. Mar. Biol. 103: 107–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gowing, M. M., Silver, M. W. (1983). Origins and microenvironments of bacteria mediating fecal pellet decomposition in the sea. Mar. Biol. 73: 7–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gowing, M. M., Silver, M. W. (1985). Minipellets: a new and abundant size class of marine fecal pellets. J. mar. Res. 43: 395–418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gowing, M. M., Wishner, K. F. (1986). Trophic relationships of deep-sea calanoid copepods from the benthic boundary layer of the Santa Catalina Basin, California. Deep-Sea Res. 33: 939–961

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harding, G. H. C. (1974). The food of deep-sea copepods. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 54: 41–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heffernan, J. J., Hopkins, T. L. (1981). Vertical distribution of feeding of the shrimp genera Gennadas and Bentheogennema (Decapoda: Penaeidea) in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. J. Crustacean Biol. 1: 461–473

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holm, S. (1979). A simple sequentially rejective multiple test procedure. Scand. J. Statist. 6: 65–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, T. L. (1985). Food web of an Antarctic midwater ecosystem. Mar. Biol. 89: 197–212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, T. L. (1987). Midwater food web in McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea, Antarctica. Mar. Biol. 96: 93–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, T. L., Torres, J. J. (1989). Midwater food web in the vicinity of a marginal ice edge zone in the western Weddell Sea. Deep-Sea Res. 36: 543–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houk, M. S., Hinegardner, R. T. (1980). The formation and early differentiation of sea urchin gonads. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 159: 280–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karl, D. M., Knauer, G. A., Martin, J. H. (1988). Downward flux of particulate organic matter in the ocean: a particle decomposition paradox. Nature, Lond. 332: 438–441

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knauer, G. A., Martin, J. H., Bruland, K. W. (1979). Fluxes of particulate carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the upper water column of the northeast Pacific. Deep-Sea Res. 26: 97–108

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Levin, L. A., Thomas, C. L., Wishner, K. (1991). Control of deep-sea benthic community structure by oxygen and organic matter gradients in the eastern tropical Pacific. J. mar. Res. 49: 763–800

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lochte, K., Turley, C. M. (1988). Bacteria and cyanobacteria associated with phytodetritus in the deep sea. Nature, Lond. 333: 67–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marchant, H. J., Thomas, D. P. (1983). Polylysine as an adhesive for the attachment of nanoplankton to substrates for electron microscopy. J. Microscopy 131: 127–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, J. H., Knauer, G. A., Karl, D. M., Broenkow, W. W. (1987). VERTEX: carbon cycling in the northeast Pacific. Deep-Sea Res. 34: 267–285

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCave, I. N. (1983). Particle size, behavior, and origin of nepheloid layers over the Nova Scotian continental rise. J. geophys. Res. 88: 7647–7666

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michaels, A. E., Silver, M. W., Gowing, M. M., Knauer, G. A. (1990). Cryptic zooplankton “swimmers” in upper ocean sediment traps. Deep-Sea Res. 37: 1285–1296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mullin, M. M. (1966). Selective feeding by calanoid copepods from the Indian Ocean. In: Barnes, H. (ed.) Some contemporary studies in marine science. G. Allen & Unwin, London, p. 545–554

    Google Scholar 

  • Nott, J. A., Corner, E. D. S., Mavin, L. J., O'Hara, S. C. M. (1985). Cyclical contributions of the digestive epithelium to faecal pellet formation by the copepod Calanus helgolandicus. Mar. Biol. 89: 271–279

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paffenhöfer, G.-A., Van Sant, K. B. (1985). The feeding response of a marine planktonic copepod to quantity and quality of particles. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 27: 55–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, T. R., Maita, Y., Lalli, C. (1984). A manual of chemical and biological methods for seawater analysis. Pergamon Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, K. G., Feig, Y. S. (1980). The use of DAPI for identifying and counting aquatic microflora. Limnol. Oceanogr. 25: 943–948

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raymont, J. E. G. (1983). Plankton and productivity in the oceans. Vol. 2. Zooplankton. Pergamon Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Reinfelder, J. R., Fisher, N. S. (1991). The assimilation of elements ingested by marine copepods. Science, N.Y. 251: 794–796

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, W. R. (1989). Analyzing tables of statistical tests. Evolution 43: 223–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, W. R., Gaines, S. D. (1992). The missing link between regression and ANOVA. (in preparation)

  • SAS Institute, Inc. (1988). SAS/STAT user's guide release; 6.03 edn. SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina

    Google Scholar 

  • Silver, M. W., Alldredge, A. L. (1981). Bathypelagic marine snow: deep-sea algal and detrital community. J. mar. Res. 39: 501–530

    Google Scholar 

  • Silver, M. W., Bruland, K. W. (1981). Differential feeding and fecal pellet composition of salps and pteropods, and the possible origin of the deep-water flora and the olive-green “cells”. Mar. Biol. 62: 263–273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silver, M. W., Gowing, M. M. (1991). The “particle” flux: origins and biological components. Prog. Oceanogr. 26: 75–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silver, M. W., Gowing, M. M., Davoll, P. J. (1986). The association of photosynthetic picoplankton and ultraplankton with pelagic detritus through the water column (0–2000 m). Can. Bull. Fish. aquat. Sciences 214: 311–341

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K. L., Jr. (1982). Zooplankton of a benthic boundary layer: in situ rates of oxygen consumption and ammonium excretion. Limnol. Oceanogr. 27: 461–471

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K. L., Jr., Carlucci, A. F., Jahnke, R. A., Craven, D. B. (1987). Organic carbon mineralization in the Santa Catalina Basin: benthic boundary layer metabolism. Deep-Sea Res. 34: 185–211

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spinrad, R. W., Glover, H., Ward, B. B., Codispoti, L. A., Kullenberg, G. (1989). Suspended particle and bacterial maxima in Peruvian coastal waters during a cold water anomaly. Deep-Sea Res 36: 715–733

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tendal, O. S. (1972). A monograph of the Xenophyophoria. Galathea Rep. 12: 1–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Thiel, H., Pfannkuche, O., Schriever, G., Lochte, K., Gooday, A. J., Hemleben, Ch., Mantoura, R. F. G., Turley, C. M., Patching, J. W., Riemann, F. (1988/1989). Phytodetritus on the deep-sea floor in a central oceanic region of the northest Atlantic. Biol. Oceanogr. 6: 203–239

    Google Scholar 

  • Turley, C. M. (1991). Protozoa associated with marine ‘snow’ and fluff — session summary. In: Reid, C. P. et. al. (eds.) Protozoa and their role in marine processes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, p. 309–326

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Turley, C. M., Hughes, D. J. (1992). Effects of storage on direct estimates of bacterial numbers of preserved seawater samples. Deep-Sea Res. (in press)

  • Vinogradov, M. E., Tseitlin, V. B. (1983). Deep-sea pelagic domain (aspects of bioenergetics). In: Rowe, G. T. (ed.) The sea. Vol. 8. John Wiley, New York, p. 123–165

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagener, S., Pfennig, N. (1987). Monoxenic culture of the anaerobic ciliate Trimyema compressum Lackey. Archs Microbiol. 149: 4–11

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wainright, S. C. (1987). Stimulation of heterotrophic microplankton production by resuspended marine sediments. Science, N.Y. 238: 1710–1712

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wakeham, S. G., Canuel, E. A. (1988). Organic geochemistry of particulate matter in the eastern tropical North Pacific Ocean: implications for particle dynamics. J. mar. Res. 46: 183–213

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, E. (1970). Atlantic deep-sea Copepoda. Smithson. Contrib. Zool. 55: 1–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, M. J. (1981). Melanin pigment production. In: Schwartz, L. M., Azar, M. M. (eds.) Advanced cell biology. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, p. 499–509

    Google Scholar 

  • Wishner, K. F. (1980). The biomass of deep-sea benthopelagic zooplankton. Deep-Sea Res. 27: 203–216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wishner, K. F., Gowing, M. M. (1987). In situ filtering and ingestion rates of deep-sea benthic boundary-layer zooplankton in the Santa Catalina Basin. Mar. Biol. 94: 357–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wishner, K. F., Gowing, M. M. (1992). The role of deep-sea zooplankton in carbon cycles. In: Rowe, G., Pariente, V. (eds.) Deep-sea food chains and the global carbon cycle. Kulwer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands (in press) (NATO ASI Ser.)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wishner, K., Levin, L., Gowing, M., Mullineaux, L. (1990). Involvement of the oxygen minimum in benthic zonation on a deep seamount. Nature Lond. 346: 57–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wishner, K. F., Meise-Munns, J. (1984). In situ grazing rates of deep-sea benthic boundary-layer zooplankton. Mar. Biol. 84: 65–74

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yarlett, N., Hann, A. C., Lloyd, D., Williams, A. (1981). Hydrogenosomes in the rumen protozoon Dasytricha ruminantium Schuberg. Biochem. J. 200: 365–372

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, 95064, Santa Cruz, California, USA

    M. M. Gowing

  2. Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, 02882, Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA

    K. F. Wishner

Authors
  1. M. M. Gowing
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. F. Wishner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by M. G. Hadfield, Honolulu

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gowing, M.M., Wishner, K.F. Feeding ecology of benthopelagic zooplankton on an eastern tropical Pacific seamount. Marine Biology 112, 451–467 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00356291

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00356291

Keywords

Search

Navigation