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Abstract Gelatinous zooplankton play a crucial role in pelagic marine food webs, however, due to methodological challenges and persistent misconceptions of their importance, the trophic role of gelatinous zooplankton remains poorly investigated. This is particularly true for small gelatinous zooplankton including the marine pelagic tunicate,Dolioletta gegenbauri.D. gegenbauriand other doliolid species occur persistently on wide subtropical shelves where they often produce massive blooms in association with shelf upwelling conditions. As efficient filter feeders and prodigious producers of relatively low‐density organic‐rich aggregates, doliolids are understood to contribute significantly to shelf production, pelagic ecology, and pelagic–benthic coupling. Utilizing molecular gut content analysis and stable isotope analysis approaches, the trophic interactions of doliolids were explored during bloom and non‐bloom conditions on the South Atlantic Bight continental shelf in the Western North Atlantic. Based on molecular gut content analysis, relative ingestion selectivity varied withD. gegenbaurilife stage. At all life stages, doliolids ingested a wide range of prey types and sizes, but exhibited selectivity for larger prey types including diatoms, ciliates, and metazoans. Experimental growth studies confirmed that metazoan prey were ingested, but indicated that they were not digested and assimilated. Stable isotopic composition (δ13C and δ15N) of wild‐caught doliolids, during bloom and non‐bloom conditions, were most consistent with a detrital‐supplemented diet. These observations suggest that the feeding ecology ofD. gegenbauriis more complex than previously reported, and have strong and unusual linkages to the microbial food web.
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The microbiome of the pelagic tunicate Dolioletta gegenbauri : A potential link between the grazing and microbial food web
Abstract Bloom‐forming gelatinous zooplankton occur circumglobally and significantly influence the structure of pelagic marine food webs and biogeochemical cycling through interactions with microbial communities. During bloom conditions especially, gelatinous zooplankton are keystone taxa that help determine the fate of primary production, nutrient remineralization, and carbon export. Using the pelagic tunicateDolioletta gegenbaurias a model system for gelatinous zooplankton, we carried out a laboratory‐based feeding experiment to investigate the potential ecosystem impacts of doliolid gut microbiomes and microbial communities associated with doliolid faecal pellets and the surrounding seawater. Metabarcoding targeting Bacteria and Archaea 16S rRNA genes/Archaea) and qPCR approaches were used to characterize microbiome assemblages. Comparison between sample types revealed distinct patterns in microbial diversity and biomass that were replicable across experiments. These observations support the hypothesis that through their presence and trophic activity, doliolids influence the structure of pelagic food webs and biogeochemical cycling in subtropical continental shelf systems where tunicate blooms are common. Bacteria associated with starved doliolids (representative of the resident gut microbiome) possessed distinct low‐biomass and low‐diversity microbial assemblages, suggesting that the doliolid microbiome is optimized to support a detrital trophic mode. Bacterial generaPseudoalteromomasandShimiawere the most abundant potential core microbiome taxa, similar to patterns observed in other marine invertebrates. Exploratory bioinformatic analyses of predicted functional genes suggest that doliolids, via their interactions with bacterial communities, may affect important biogeochemical processes including nitrogen, sulphur, and organic matter cycling.
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- PAR ID:
- 10476018
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Molecular Ecology
- Volume:
- 32
- Issue:
- 23
- ISSN:
- 0962-1083
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 6564-6579
- Size(s):
- p. 6564-6579
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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