Document of bibliographic reference 396770

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Journal article

BibLvlCode

AS

Title

Salps in the NW Atlantic Slope Water: metabarcoding and compound-specific stable isotope analysis of diet diversity and trophic interactions

Abstract

Mesopelagic zones of the NW Atlantic Slope Water support pelagic assemblages with high biomass and high diversity. Species of salps (Phylum Urochordata, Class Thaliacea) are bloom-forming, filter-feeding, gelatinous zooplankton, with significant impacts on pelagic food webs and vertical transport of organic material. Questions remain of their diet diversity, prey selectivity, and timing of feeding with respect to vertical distribution and migration. This study analyzed three salp species, Soestia (Iasis) zonaria, Salpa aspera, and Salpa fusiformis, collected from the NW Atlantic Slope Water during July and August 2018 and 2019. DNA metabarcoding using V4 and V9 regions of 18S rRNA found dinofagellates to be predominant prey for all three salp species in both years. Analysis of fve prey groups detected by metabarcoding revealed diferences in proportions of prey. Compound-specifc stable isotope analysis of essential amino acids, which integrates over several months, found diatoms to be the dominant end-member source for all three species. Our fndings on salp diet diversity broaden our understanding of trophic pathways in the mesopelagic food web, including sources of productivity and possible impacts of climate change.

Bibliographic citation

Batta-Lona, P.G.; Gardner, K.; Questel, J.M.; Thorrold, S.R.; Llopiz, J.K.; Wiebe, P.H.; Bucklin, A. (2024). Salps in the NW Atlantic Slope Water: metabarcoding and compound-specific stable isotope analysis of diet diversity and trophic interactions. Mar. Biol. (Berl.) 171(12). https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-024-04535-x

Topic

Marine

Is peer reviewed

true