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Nudibranchs are mostly predators preying on a variety of invertebrates. The dietary preferences of tropical nudibranchs were studied by the method of fatty acid trophic markers (FATM) in order to for better understanding of their trophic ecology. For this, the fatty acid profiles of two nudibranch species from the South China Sea, Doriprismatica atromarginata (Cuvier, 1804) and Jorunna funebris (Kelaart, 1859), were analyzed and trophic markers were identified. The high level of very long chain fatty acids (from C24 to C28), which are characteristic of sponges, in nudibranchs was evidence of their predation on sponges. However, the distribution of these components differed significantly between the species. The acids 24:2Δ5,9, 25:2Δ5,9, 26:2Δ9,19, and especially 26:2Δ5,9 dominated in D. atromarginata, but were not found in J. funebris that was rich in 28:2Δ5,9 and 28:3Δ5,9,19. The significant differences in the profile of these demospongic acids indicate that these nudibranchs consumed different species of sponges. The similarity between the FATMs of J. funebris and its potential prey, the sponge Xestospongia, confirmed their predator–prey relationship. Doriprismatica atromarginata from different sites along the Vietnam coast had different FATM profiles, which showed this nudibranch as having no any strict food specialization and feeding on various Demospongiae species. The abundance of bacterial FATMs in the nudibranchs suggests the importance of bacteria in their diet. Thus, the FATM method has proven to be useful for identifying the feeding specialization and assessing the effect of food availability on the diet of these tropical nudibranch species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial nutrients flushed to sea via coastal runoff may provide a trophic subsidy to filter‐feeders, which might be particularly relevant in oligotrophic waters. In this study, we investigated how allochthonous subsidies might modulate the settlement dynamics of the mytilid Brachidontes solisianus, a space monopoliser in subtropical Brazilian shores. We used fatty acid trophic markers to identify the dietary subsidies to nearshore waters during wet and dry periods, and integrated them with key ecological drivers (temperature, rainfall) and physiological factors (nutritional status, size at settlement) acting on early life stages. Like other mytilids, for B. solisianus primary settlement can be followed by resuspension and reattachment (secondary settlement). A higher share of primary settlers may signal localized recruitment, while a larger contribution of secondary settlers would indicate increased migration rates. Through redundancy analyses we found that rainfall was correlated with 1) nearshore fatty acid trophic markers of land origin and 2) the frequency of primary settlers during the wet period, when the share of terrestrial inputs was also highest (13% of nearshore suspended matter). Conditions appeared favorable to localized recruitment through trophic settlement triggers, as settlement pulses of pelagic drifters followed heavy rains. Further, lipid analyses of pediveligers revealed that during the dry period these competent larvae selectively incorporated the essential 22:6ω3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) into membrane phospholipids at the expense of reserve lipids, suggesting a dietary deficit. Secondary dispersal also prevailed, indicating that the chance for relocation through secondary migrations during dry periods is likely higher. Overall, our results suggest that coastal runoff leads to allochthonous trophic subsidies in the form of organic‐rich plumes which may strongly modulate the settlement rate and dispersal potential of B. solisianus. Subsidies from land to coastal waters may thus be critical for the stability of benthic communities in regions of low marine primary production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer regulation of lipid composition during assimilation of dietary items is related to their ecology, habitat, and life cycle, and may lead to extra energetic costs associated with the conversion of dietary material into the fatty acids (FAs) necessary to meet metabolic requirements. For example, lipid-rich copepods from temperate and polar latitudes must convert assimilated dietary FAs into wax esters, an efficient type of energy storage which enables them to cope with seasonal food shortages and buoyancy requirements. Lipid-poor copepods, however, tend to not be as constrained by food availability as their lipid-rich counterparts and, thus, should have no need for modifying dietary FAs. Our objective was to test the assumption that Temora longicornis, a proxy species for lipid-poor copepods, does not regulate its lipid composition. Isotopically-enriched (13C) diatoms were fed to copepods during a 5-day laboratory experiment. Compound-specific stable isotope analysis of algae and copepod samples was performed in order to calculate dietary FA assimilation, turnover, and assimilation efficiency into copepod FAs. Approximately 65% of the total dietary lipid carbon (C) assimilated (913 ± 68 ng C ind-1 at the end of the experiment) was recorded as polyunsaturated FAs, with 20 and 15% recorded as saturated and monounsaturated FAs, respectively. As expected, T. longicornis assimilated dietary FAs in an unregulated, non-homeostatic manner, as evidenced by the changes in its FA profile, which became more similar to that of their diet. Copepods assimilated 11% of the total dietary C (or 40% of the dietary lipid C) ingested in the first two days of the experiment. In addition, 34% of their somatic growth (in C) after two days was due to the assimilation of dietary C in FAs. Global warming may lead to increased proportions of smaller copepods in the oceans, and to a lower availability of algae-produced essential FAs. In order for changes in the energy transfer in marine food webs to be better understood, it is important that future investigations assess a broader range of diets as well as lipid-poor zooplankton from oceanographic areas throughout the world’s oceans.

Mesopelagic sound scattering layers (SSL) are ubiquitous in all oceans. Pelagic organisms within the SSL play important roles as prey for higher trophic levels and in climate regulation through the biological carbon pump. Yet, the biomass and species composition of SSL in the Arctic Ocean remain poorly documented, particularly in winter. A multifrequency echosounder detected a SSL north of Svalbard, from 79.8 to 81.4°N, in January 2016, August 2016, and January 2017. Midwater trawl sampling confirmed that the SSL comprised zooplankton and pelagic fish of boreal and Arctic origins. Arctic cod dominated the fish assemblage in August and juvenile beaked redfish in January. The macrozooplankton community mainly comprised the medusa Cyanea capillata, the amphipod Themisto libellula, and the euphausiids Meganyctiphanes norvegica in August and Thysanoessa inermis in January. The SSL was located in the Atlantic Water mass, between 200–700 m in August and between 50–500 m in January. In January, the SSL was shallower and weaker above the deeper basin, where less Atlantic Water penetrated. The energy content available in the form of lipids within the SSL was significantly higher in summer than winter. The biomass within the SSL was >12-fold higher in summer, and the diversity of fish was slightly higher than in winter (12 vs. 9 species). We suggest that these differences are mainly related to life history and ontogenetic changes resulting in a descent toward the seafloor, outside the mesopelagic layer, in winter. In addition, some fish species of boreal origin, such as the spotted barracudina, did not seem to survive the polar night when advected from the Atlantic into the Arctic. Others, mainly juvenile beaked redfish, were abundant in both summer and winter, implying that the species can survive the polar night and possibly extend its range into the high Arctic. Fatty-acid trophic markers revealed that Arctic cod mainly fed on calanoid copepods while juvenile beaked redfish targeted krill (Thysanoessa spp.). The relatively high biomass of Arctic cod in August and of redfish in January thus suggests a shift within the SSL, from a Calanus-based food web in summer to a krill-based food web during winter.

The fatty acid (FA) composition of Pseudodiaptomus hessei, one of the most abundant copepod species in southern African estuaries and lakes, reveals potential food selectivity and the importance of flagellate prey in their diets. Differences in FA profiles between males and females were recorded; however, none of these patterns matched the reproductive activities of the copepod. Our findings stress the importance of improving our knowledge of FA biosynthesis pathways to employ fatty acids as trophic markers in feeding studies of zooplankton in temperate environments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The present study aimed to assess if ragworm fatty acids (FA) profiles could be used to discriminate their spatial distribution in an historically mercury-contaminated estuarine environment, i.e., if it was possible to differentiate ragworms present in salt marsh sediments surrounding plant roots and rhizomes (rhizosediment) from adjacent unvegetated sediment. Additionally, we also tried to determine if ragworms differed in mercury content and if these values could also be used to identify the habitat they occur in. Results show that, within the same area, ragworms can be distinguished using FA profiles and that in halophyte rhizosediment ragworms display more than twice the levels of alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3). The ratio cis-vaccenic/oleic acids (18:1n-7/18:ln-9) in ragworms suggests higher carnivory in unvegetated sediments. Our study indicates that ragworm FA profiles can be used to identify their habitat, their trophic interaction with halophytes and reveal a spatially contrasting feeding behaviour, which also reflects mercury accumulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fatty acid biomarkers analysis was performed on juvenile and adult northern krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica) to determine variability in diet between individuals and the consequences for their growth rates. Animals were sampled from Gullmarsfjorden, western Sweden during September 2004 and incubated for 4 days to measure instantaneous growth rate (IGR) before subsequent fatty acid analysis. We found positive linear relationships between IGR and certain fatty acid concentrations within adult specimens. In particular, highest growth was seen in individuals containing high concentrations of 18:2(n-6) and 18:3(n-6), indicative of filamentous algae and/or terrestrial carbon dietary sources, and 16:4(n-1), a biomarker fatty acid for diatoms. Similar relationships were not evident for juvenile krill. In an accompanying study, stomach content analyses established that adult krill had been feeding on a diverse range of red, brown and green benthic filamentous algae, which contain fatty acids of the (n-6) series. Incidence of filamentous algae in the stomachs of juvenile krill was much lower, possibly reflecting the shallower water depths inhabited by this maturity stage. Although a benthic feeding mode has previously been observed for M. norvegica, this is the first direct evidence to indicate that benthic food sources can be important in supporting the growth of this euphausiid. Furthermore, high variability in growth rates and fatty acid concentrations between individuals suggest a diversity of feeding strategies within this fjordic population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Larvae and juvenile stages of Pleuragramma antarcticum have been collected in the Dumont D’Urville Sea (East Antarctica) during summer 2008 on board the TRV Umitaka Maru during the CEAMARC survey. Detailed analyses of their lipid class and fatty acid compositions were carried out. P. antarcticum showed a pronounced ontogenic lipid accumulation with increasing size. Larvae displayed a dominance of polar lipids (83% of total lipids) and low percentage of triglycerides (7%). Conversely juveniles showed an increasing accumulation of triglycerides (up to 72.4%). The fatty acid composition of polar lipids remained rather stable between stages with 22:6n−3 and 20:5n−3 as dominant contributors. The relatively minor ontogenic changes, e.g. increase of monounsaturated and decrease of C18 polyunsaturated fatty acids, may reflect the influence of differences in diet. Triglycerides showed that all three age classes are well segregated in term of fatty acid composition. Larvae triglycerides are characterized by significant percentages of 16:0, 20:5n−3, 20:6n−3 and to a minor extent 18:4n−3, which suggest a prymnesiophyte based diet. Juveniles are characterized by larger percentages of C20:1 and C22:1 acids, considered as markers of Calanus type copepods. The increasing contribution of 18:1n−9 in the triglycerides of the older juveniles suggests a gradual and increasing shift from a copepod dominant diet to an euphausiid dominant diet. Fatty acid trophic markers pattern suggests a shift from a phytophagous and omnivorous diet for larvae to a carnivorous diet for juveniles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]