Benthic suspension feeders: their paramount role in littoral marine food webs

doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(98)01365-2

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Volume 13, Issue 8, 1 August 1998, Pages 316-321

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5347(98)01365-2 Get rights and content

Abstract

In recent years, particular attention has been paid to coupling and energy transfer between benthos and plankton. Because of their abundance, certain benthic suspension feeders have been shown to have a major impact in marine ecosystems. They capture large quantities of particles and might directly regulate primary production and indirectly regulate secondary production in littoral food chains. Suspension feeders develop dense, three-dimensional communities whose structural complexity depends on flow speed. It has been postulated that these communities can self-organize to enhance food capture and thus establish boundary systems capable of successfully exploiting a less structured system, namely, the plankton.

Section snippets

Evidence for the exploitation of plankton in benthic communities

Recently[12], there have been attempts to assess the individual components of food webs within or between systems and thus achieve an overall understanding of marine ecosystems. Attention has focused on coupling between the benthos and the plankton and, in particular, on energy transfer between the pelagic and benthic ecosystems[13].

The level of exploitation of the plankton by suspension feeders can be measured by direct and indirect methods. Direct methods involve estimating capture rates,

Communities of suspension feeders: life in patches

The colonies or individuals in a population act to slow current flow or increase the residence time of water in their vicinity, thereby increasing the residence time of particles. The substratum, on which the populations rest, also slows the flow and raises turbulence, again increasing the residence time of particles. In the case of closely spaced colonies,the operant hydrodynamic model is interactive flow, whereas in the case of more widely spaced colonies, flow is independent, generating

Suspension feeder communities: a successional approach

The structure (measured as complexity and diversity) and biomass of communities of suspension feeders can increase with food availability. This general pattern is linked to flow speed, with higher flow rates resulting in larger colony and individual sizes[27]. The effect of suspension feeder communities on planktonic ones is a sharp drop in the concentration and an increase in the retention time on the bottom of suspended particles of all kinds, depending on the density of suspension feeders

Suspension feeder communities as a boundary system: from the standpoint of succession and energy transfer

The sea shore is a clear example of a boundary between ecological systems (i.e. the terrestrial and marine). Communities of benthic suspension feeders also lie at a boundary between the substratum (`bottom') and the water column (`sea'). From the standpoint of water column structure and dynamics, the hard bottom benthos—that is, the living stratum immediately above the substratum—has usually been regarded as a sink where the remains of the water column production comes to rest. However, in

Suspension feeder communities in deep areas

Environments with strong, variable currents that are able to transport large concentrations of suspended particles can also be found at great depth on the continental shelf and slope. In fact, any topographical structure that breaks the smooth, even profile of the substratum will bring about a change in the direction and intensity of flow[36](Appendix C). Littoral communities of suspension feeders are usually composed of organisms with short larval development times that act to limit dispersal

The self-organization of suspension feeder communities

Benthic suspension feeders form communities that can self-organize into patches by means of asexual reproduction or dispersal of larvae over short distances. However, the self-organizing concept is not only related to aggregated recruitment. After larval settlement, the number of colonies or individuals that survive decreases during their growth. Survival of suspension feeders is closely related to maximizing prey capture, which involves the spatial organization of all the members in each

Acknowledgements

Part of this paper was presented as a lecture at the `Illa del Rei' University Summer School courses in Menorca, Spain. We are particularly grateful to Prof. R. Margalef for his teaching during those courses. We also wish to thank Dr J.L. Pretus of the University of Barcelona, who organized the courses, and our colleagues Prof. W. Arntz, Prof. J. Ros, Prof. F. Boero, Dr M. Ribes and Dr M. Zabala, as well as two anonymous reviewers, for their critical comments. Support for this work was provided

References (47)

K.P Sebens et al.
Effects of water flow and branch spacing on particle capture by the reef coral Madracis mirabilis (Duchassaing and Michelotti)
J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.
(1997)
M Barange et al.
Feeding cycles and prey capture in Eudendrium racemosum (Cavolini, 1785)
J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.
(1988)
R.S Kaufmann et al.
Distribution of epibenthic megafauna and lebensspuren on two central North Pacific seamounts
Deep-Sea Res. Part A Oceanogr. Res. Pap.
(1989)
D.I Rubenstein et al.
The mechanisms of filter feeding: some theoretical considerations
Am. Nat.
(1977)
Okamura, B. (1990) Behavioural plasticity in the suspension feeding of benthic animals, in Behavioural Mechanisms of...
J Shimeta et al.
Physical mechanisms and rates of particle capture by suspension feeders
Oceanogr. Mar. Biol.
(1991)
DeMott, W.R. (1990) Hunger-dependent diet selection in suspension-feeding zooplankton, in Diet Selection. An...
R Coma et al.
Trophic ecology of a benthic marine hydroid Campanularia everta
Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.
(1995)
A.J Pile
Trophic effects of sponge feeding within Lake Baikal's littoral zone. 2. Sponge abundance, diet, feeding efficiency, and carbon flux
Limnol. Oceanogr.
(1997)
Wildish, D. and Kristmanson, D. (1997) Benthic Suspension Feeders and Flow, Cambridge University...

H.U Riisgård et al.

Filter-feeding in marine macro-invertebrates: pump characteristics, modelling and energy cost

Biol. Rev.

(1995)

R.N Hughes

Optimal foraging theory in the marine context

Oceanogr. Mar. Biol.

(1980)

D.J Wildish et al.

Tidal energy and sublittoral macrobenthic animals in estuaries

J. Fish. Res. Board Can.

(1979)

K.P Sebens

The ecology of indeterminate growth in animals

Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst.

(1987)

L Goldwasser et al.

Construction and analysis of large Caribbean food webs

Ecology

(1993)

E Bonsdorff et al.

Biotic coupling on shallow water soft bottoms—examples from the Northern Baltic Sea

Oceanogr. Mar. Biol.

(1993)

H.U Riisgård et al.

Filter-feeding in fifteen marine ectoprocts (Bryozoa): particle capture and water pumping

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

(1997)

K.P Sebens et al.

Effects of water movement on prey capture and distribution of reef corals

Hydrobiologia

(1991)

R Coma

Feeding and prey capture cycles in the aposymbiotic gorgonian Paramuricea clavata

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

(1994)

R Coma

An energetic approach to the study of life-history of two modular colonial benthic invertebrates

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

(1998)

Y.I Sorokin

Biomass, metabolic rates and feeding of some reef zoantharians and octocorals

Aust. J. Mar. Freshwater Res.

(1991)

Jørgensen, C.B. (1990) Bivalve Filter Feeding: Hydrodynamics, Bioenergetics, Physiology and Ecology, Olsen and...

W.J Kimmerer et al.

Predation by an introduced clam as the likely cause of substantial declines in zooplankton of San Francisco Bay

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

(1994)

Cited by (548)

Transient species driving ecosystem multifunctionality: Insights from competitive interactions between rocky intertidal mussels
2024, Marine Environmental Research
Anthropogenic biodiversity loss poses a significant threat to ecosystem functioning worldwide. Numerically dominant and locally rare (i.e., transient) species are key components of biodiversity, but their contribution to multiple ecosystem functions (i.e., multifunctionality) has been seldomly assessed in marine ecosystems. To fill this gap, here we analyze the effects of a dominant and a transient species on ecosystem multifunctionality. In an observational study conducted along ca. 200 km of the southeastern Pacific coast, the purple mussel Perumytilus purpuratus numerically dominated the mid-intertidal and the dwarf mussel Semimytilus patagonicus exhibited low abundances but higher recruitment rates. In laboratory experiments, the relative abundances of both species were manipulated to simulate the replacement of P. purpuratus by S. patagonicus and five proxies for ecosystem functions—rates of clearance, oxygen consumption, total biodeposit, organic biodeposit, and excretion—were analyzed. This replacement had a positive, linear, and significant effect on the combined ecosystem functions, particularly oxygen consumption and excretion rates. Accordingly, S. patagonicus could well drive ecosystem functioning given favorable environmental conditions for its recovery from rarity. Our study highlights therefore the key role of transient species for ecosystem performance. Improving our understanding of these dynamics is crucial for effective ecosystem conservation, especially in the current scenario of biological extinctions and invasions.
Encrustation of crinoid holdfasts and pluricolumnals from the Pridoli (upper Silurian) of Saaremaa Island, Estonia
2024, Proceedings of the Geologists' Association
The Pridoli (upper Silurian) of Saaremaa Island, Estonia contains crinoid holdfasts and pluricolumnals that are colonized by many epibionts (encrusters). They comprise Palaeoconchus tenuis, Cornulites sp., Anticalyptraea calyptrata, Favosites sp., as well as hederelloids, cystoporate and trepostome bryozoans, and stromatoporoids. The taxonomic composition of encrusters of crinoid pluricolumnals differs from that of crinoid holdfasts. The encrusters on pluricolumnals were numerically dominated by trepostome bryozoans and microconchids; the other taxa formed just a minor part of the sclerobiont association. The trepostomes dominate by the area of encrustation on pluricolumnals. The encrusters on holdfasts were numerically dominated by microconchids, followed by cystoporate and trepostome bryozoans; the other taxa formed a minor part of the sclerobiont association. The bryozoans dominated by the encrustation area on holdfasts. There is likely a negative correlation between potential substrate mobility and abundance of microconchids. The cystoporates colonized only relatively stable substrates such as crinoid holdfasts whilst trepostomes colonized also mobile substrates.
Controls on long-term changes in bathyal bivalve biomass: The Pleistocene glacial–interglacial record in the eastern Mediterranean
2024, Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers
The biomass of aquatic organisms largely determines the mass and energy flow within an ecosystem, but the long-term impact of environmental change on biomass is not well constrained for a number of clades. Here, we test the hypothesis that bivalve biomass is negatively impacted by warming climate over time. This study is based on a fossil marine bivalve fauna recovered from hemipelagic sediments deposited in the eastern Mediterranean during climate cycles (marine isotope stages (MIS) 22–18; 900–712 kyr B.P.) of the Early–Middle Pleistocene Transition. We reconstruct individual shell biomasses from fossils and discuss the various biotic and abiotic factors that controlled long-term shell biomass patterns across this important interval in the Earth climate system. The results are contrary to the original hypothesis, suggesting that the response to temperature is not universal. Nevertheless, a decrease in median biomass is observed during the MIS 19 warm period and can be possibly attributed to the combined effect of multiple drivers that cooperated at that critical time in the past, including higher temperature and primary productivity, reduced ventilation of the sea floor, biodiversity changes due to geographic range shifts, and considering species- and age-specific thermal tolerances. Generally, bivalve biomass at the community level is determined by relative abundance and shell biomass-frequency distribution. In our study, the relative abundance and median biomass of small species do not increase or decrease, respectively, in warmer periods. However, larger species are negatively affected by warming both in terms of relative abundance and biomass.
The effect of surface orientation on early successional fouling communities in the southern gulf of Maine
2023, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
Artificial environments have hard surfaces positioned at different orientations that attract a wide diversity of sessile invertebrate species, forming fouling communities. Fouling communities play a large role in the spread of a species introduction, as organisms gain purchase in artificial environments and use them as a stepping-stone into neighboring natural systems. These man-made systems harbor a large diversity of species, and there are often vastly different communities present on both vertical and horizontal surfaces. We used a species abundance dataset at three time periods spanning 30 years, collected from fouling panels in a high tidal flow estuary at the mouth of the Piscataqua River (New Castle, New Hampshire) in the southern Gulf of Maine to measure differences in community composition between horizontal and vertical panels. Early successional communities on settlement panels were photographed one year after installment in late summer to capture the highest diversity seasons. Organisms were then identified to the lowest taxonomic level, and communities on the underside of horizontal and vertical panels were compared. Vertical and horizontal communities from 1980 and 2004 were similar, while those from 2009 statistically differed from one another. Vertical and horizontal surfaces in the 1980s were dominated by the blue mussel Mytilus edulis, which declined in later years, and was replaced by invasive ascidians. Species diversity increased between the 1980 and 2004 sampling, but declined by the 2009 sampling. This study captures changes of species composition in early successional communities on vertical and horizontal surfaces at a single locale from three time periods spanning over 30 years.
Interactive roles of temperature and food availability in predicting habitat suitability for marine invertebrates
2023, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Natural variability in habitat characteristics, including their interactions, can affect marine invertebrate development. Controlled laboratory experiments seek to assess responses to such variability. For marine invertebrates, responses to temperature are typically assessed but a continuous gradient of all temperatures that a species may encounter is not frequently used. For planktonic larvae of marine invertebrates, biotic factors such as food availability receive less attention due to difficulty in simulating planktonic biotic interactions in a controlled laboratory setting. Here, a laboratory experiment was used to quantify larval development (growth, pelagic larval duration and survival) of the Atlantic surfclam, Spisula solidissima, in response to a continuous range of temperatures and food (phytoplankton) concentrations, allowing quantification of thermal and food availability niches. A second experiment was conducted to quantify the thermal and food availability niches for recruit (post-settlement) surfclams. These experiments were uniquely designed to inform future climate change-based forecasting and habitat suitability modeling. Larval growth and survival increased with increased food availability, while pelagic larval duration decreased with increased food availability. Larval survival decreased with increased temperature, growth peaked near 22 °C and pelagic larval duration was lowest near 22 °C. For recruits, survival and growth increased with both temperature and food availability, but growth decreased at temperatures >22 °C. Broadly, results suggest potential food limitation for continental shelf bivalve larvae and demonstrate that natural variation in food availability may affect thermal tolerances. Results also suggest that throughout the range of the surfclam, high food and moderate temperature areas such as New York Bight and Georges Bank are ideal for larvae and early recruits, whereas low food and high temperature areas, including continental shelf waters in the southern Middle Atlantic Bight, are suboptimal for early life stages of surfclams. This framework may be used for habitat suitability modeling, from an energetic perspective, for other marine invertebrate taxa.
Filtration and respiration responses of mussels (Mytilus edulis) to trematode parasite infections (Renicola roscovita) and transient heat exposure
2023, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
The mussel Mytilus edulis, a host to various trematode species, experiences performance decrements due to these infections. Yet, the impact magnitude and potential interactions with environmental stressors remain largely unexplored. This study scrutinizes the effect of Renicola roscovita infections on mussel filtration and respiration. We first assessed performance in both uninfected and lab-infected mussels at a mild temperature (16 °C), following an acute heat ramp to 30.5 °C and subsequent cooling. The experiment revealed neither a significant direct impact of the infection on the mussels' performance, nor any significant interplay between the infection and temperature variations. To account for possible infection effects obscured by low sample sizes or mussel size disparities, we conducted a reassessment at 16 °C using both small and large mussels. Infection notably hampered filtration in large mussels, with a marginal impact on smaller ones. A positive correlation was found between infection intensity and mussel filtration capacity, though the infection had no discernible impact on respiration. Our consistent finding of an 11-12 % infection effect size across all experiments indicates a slight reduction in mussel filtration due to trematode infections. While the exacerbating effect of transient heat stress on the infection's impact on filtration was not statistically significant, future investigations should explore potential interactions with prolonged heat stress. Our findings underscore the nuanced ways in which parasitic infections can influence marine bivalve physiology, emphasizing the need for more comprehensive studies that incorporate environmental stressors, such as heat stress, to fully elucidate the impact of parasitism on marine ecosystem health and resilience.

View all citing articles on Scopus

¹: [email protected]

²: [email protected]

View full text

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Benthic suspension feeders: their paramount role in littoral marine food webs

Abstract

Section snippets

Evidence for the exploitation of plankton in benthic communities

Communities of suspension feeders: life in patches

Suspension feeder communities: a successional approach

Suspension feeder communities as a boundary system: from the standpoint of succession and energy transfer

Suspension feeder communities in deep areas

The self-organization of suspension feeder communities

Acknowledgements

J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.

J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.

Deep-Sea Res. Part A Oceanogr. Res. Pap.

The mechanisms of filter feeding: some theoretical considerations

Am. Nat.

Physical mechanisms and rates of particle capture by suspension feeders

Oceanogr. Mar. Biol.

Trophic ecology of a benthic marine hydroid Campanularia everta

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

Trophic effects of sponge feeding within Lake Baikal's littoral zone. 2. Sponge abundance, diet, feeding efficiency, and carbon flux

Limnol. Oceanogr.

Filter-feeding in marine macro-invertebrates: pump characteristics, modelling and energy cost

Biol. Rev.

Optimal foraging theory in the marine context

Oceanogr. Mar. Biol.

Tidal energy and sublittoral macrobenthic animals in estuaries

J. Fish. Res. Board Can.

The ecology of indeterminate growth in animals

Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst.

Construction and analysis of large Caribbean food webs

Ecology

Biotic coupling on shallow water soft bottoms—examples from the Northern Baltic Sea

Oceanogr. Mar. Biol.

Filter-feeding in fifteen marine ectoprocts (Bryozoa): particle capture and water pumping

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

Effects of water movement on prey capture and distribution of reef corals

Hydrobiologia

Feeding and prey capture cycles in the aposymbiotic gorgonian Paramuricea clavata

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

An energetic approach to the study of life-history of two modular colonial benthic invertebrates

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

Biomass, metabolic rates and feeding of some reef zoantharians and octocorals

Aust. J. Mar. Freshwater Res.

Predation by an introduced clam as the likely cause of substantial declines in zooplankton of San Francisco Bay

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.