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Feeding repellence of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic benthic invertebrates against the omnivorous sea star Odontaster validus

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Abstract

Antarctic and sub-Antarctic benthic invertebrates are subjected to intense predation by mobile macroinvertebrates. Accordingly, chemical protection as well as other defensive mechanisms are expected to be common in organisms inhabiting these ecosystems. In order to evaluate anti-predation activities and allocation of chemical defenses within the anatomy of marine benthic Antarctic and sub-Antarctic invertebrates, 55 species were tested for feeding repellence against the sea star Odontaster validus, a common eurybathic sympatric predator. The invertebrates tested were collected from the deep waters of two poorly surveyed areas in terms of chemical ecology studies: the eastern Weddell Sea (Antarctica) and the vicinities of Bouvet Island (sub-Antarctica). Experiments were conducted at the Spanish Antarctic Base in Deception Island. In the feeding deterrence experiments, shrimp pieces were treated with crude lipophilic fractions obtained from each species, and were offered to the sea stars. A total of 29 species (53 %) from 7 different phyla (Porifera, Cnidaria, Chordata, Bryozoa, Echinodermata, Mollusca, and Annelida) showed feeding repellence against O. validus, and are therefore chemically protected against this keystone predator. Furthermore, 25 species were dissected into parts to investigate the possible allocation of defensive compounds. Some of the results obtained from these analyses support the prediction that the most exposed/vulnerable tissues concentrate chemical defenses to avoid predation against the sea stars. In summary, the results obtained in our survey support the hypothesis that deep-water Antarctic and sub-Antarctic benthic invertebrates are well protected chemically against sympatric predators, similarly to what has been reported in previous studies investigating shallow-water Antarctic species.

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Acknowledgments

We are deeply obliged to W. Arntz, T. Brey, and the crew of R/V Polarstern for their support during the cruise ANT XXI/2. Thanks are also due to the “Bentart” team, especially to A. Ramos, I. Olaso, G. García-Castrillo, J. Matallanas, A. A. Ramos-Esplá, F. Ramil, C. Gambi, P. Ríos, and C. SanVicente, for their help on board the “BIO Hespérides”, and the scuba divers F. J. Cristobo, M. Ballesteros and J. A. Moya, during the ECOQUIM-2 cruise. Crews from the Unidad de Tecnología Marina (CSIC), the “Las Palmas”, the “BIO-Hespérides” as well as from the “Gabriel de Castilla” Spanish Antarctic Base provided logistic support during the ECOQUIM-2 cruise. Thanks are also due to J. Vázquez, M. Nappo, Y. Grzymbowski, and M. Planells for their help in the laboratory, and M. Ballesteros, P. Ríos, F. J. Cristobo, M. Varela, M. Edo, B. Figuerola, N. Anadón, A. Bosch, and A. A. Ramos-Esplá for their help in the taxonomical identification of the samples. The helpful comments on the manuscript of C. D. Amsler and A. Riesgo are also greatly acknowledged, as well as those from P. Dayton, G. Cimino and an anonymous reviewer. Funding was provided by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain through the ECOQUIM (REN2003-00545, REN2002-12006E ANT and CGL2004-03356/ANT), and ACTIQUIM (CGL2007-65453/ANT) projects.

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  1. Depto. de Biología Animal, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Sergi Taboada, Laura Núñez-Pons & Conxita Avila

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  1. Sergi Taboada
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Sergi Taboada and Laura Núñez-Pons with equal contributions.

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Taboada, S., Núñez-Pons, L. & Avila, C. Feeding repellence of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic benthic invertebrates against the omnivorous sea star Odontaster validus . Polar Biol 36, 13–25 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-012-1234-z

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