A comparison of food sources of nudibranch mollusks at different depths off the Kuril Islands using fatty acid trophic markers

Gastropod molluscs such as nudibranchs are important members of deep-sea benthic ecosystems. However, data on the trophic ecology and feeding specialization of these animals are limited to date. The method of fatty acid trophic markers (FATM) was applied to determine the dietary preferences of nudib...

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Main Authors: Anatolii Komisarenko, Vladimir Mordukhovich, Irina Ekimova, Andrey Imbs
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2021-11-01
Series:PeerJ
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Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/12336.pdf
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author Anatolii Komisarenko
Vladimir Mordukhovich
Irina Ekimova
Andrey Imbs
author_facet Anatolii Komisarenko
Vladimir Mordukhovich
Irina Ekimova
Andrey Imbs
author_sort Anatolii Komisarenko
collection DOAJ
description Gastropod molluscs such as nudibranchs are important members of deep-sea benthic ecosystems. However, data on the trophic ecology and feeding specialization of these animals are limited to date. The method of fatty acid trophic markers (FATM) was applied to determine the dietary preferences of nudibranchs off the Kuril Islands. Fatty acid (FA) compositions of Dendronotus sp., Tritonia tetraquetra, and Colga pacifica collected from deep waters were analyzed and compared with those of Aeolidia papillosa and Coryphella verrucosa from the offshore zone. The high level of FATM such as 22:5n-6 and C20 monounsaturated FAs indicated that Dendronotus sp. preys on sea anemones and/or anthoathecates hydroids similarly to that of shallow-water species A. papillosa and C. verrucosa. The high percentage of tetracosapolyenoic acids and the ratio 24:6n-3/24:5n-6 indicated that T. tetraquetra preys on soft corals such as Gersemia and/or Acanella at a depth of 250 m, but soft corals of the family Primnoidae may be the main item in the diet of T. tetraquetra at a depth of 500 m. The high content of Δ 7,13-22:2 and 22:6n-3 shows that C. pacifica can feed on bryozoans. In C. pacifica, 22:5n-6 may be synthesized intrinsically by the mollusks, whereas odd-chain and branched saturated FAs originate from associated bacteria.
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spelling doaj.art-031b1e8e1714454d812f6e4c1f5ca2882023-12-03T11:10:02ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592021-11-019e1233610.7717/peerj.12336A comparison of food sources of nudibranch mollusks at different depths off the Kuril Islands using fatty acid trophic markersAnatolii Komisarenko0Vladimir Mordukhovich1Irina Ekimova2Andrey Imbs3Laboratory of Comparative Biochemistry, A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russian FederationLaboratory of Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems, A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russian FederationDepartment of Invertebrate Zoology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian FederationLaboratory of Comparative Biochemistry, A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russian FederationGastropod molluscs such as nudibranchs are important members of deep-sea benthic ecosystems. However, data on the trophic ecology and feeding specialization of these animals are limited to date. The method of fatty acid trophic markers (FATM) was applied to determine the dietary preferences of nudibranchs off the Kuril Islands. Fatty acid (FA) compositions of Dendronotus sp., Tritonia tetraquetra, and Colga pacifica collected from deep waters were analyzed and compared with those of Aeolidia papillosa and Coryphella verrucosa from the offshore zone. The high level of FATM such as 22:5n-6 and C20 monounsaturated FAs indicated that Dendronotus sp. preys on sea anemones and/or anthoathecates hydroids similarly to that of shallow-water species A. papillosa and C. verrucosa. The high percentage of tetracosapolyenoic acids and the ratio 24:6n-3/24:5n-6 indicated that T. tetraquetra preys on soft corals such as Gersemia and/or Acanella at a depth of 250 m, but soft corals of the family Primnoidae may be the main item in the diet of T. tetraquetra at a depth of 500 m. The high content of Δ 7,13-22:2 and 22:6n-3 shows that C. pacifica can feed on bryozoans. In C. pacifica, 22:5n-6 may be synthesized intrinsically by the mollusks, whereas odd-chain and branched saturated FAs originate from associated bacteria.https://peerj.com/articles/12336.pdfNudibranchiaFood websCold-water speciesDietary fatty acidsLipids
spellingShingle Anatolii Komisarenko
Vladimir Mordukhovich
Irina Ekimova
Andrey Imbs
A comparison of food sources of nudibranch mollusks at different depths off the Kuril Islands using fatty acid trophic markers
PeerJ
Nudibranchia
Food webs
Cold-water species
Dietary fatty acids
Lipids
title A comparison of food sources of nudibranch mollusks at different depths off the Kuril Islands using fatty acid trophic markers
title_full A comparison of food sources of nudibranch mollusks at different depths off the Kuril Islands using fatty acid trophic markers
title_fullStr A comparison of food sources of nudibranch mollusks at different depths off the Kuril Islands using fatty acid trophic markers
title_full_unstemmed A comparison of food sources of nudibranch mollusks at different depths off the Kuril Islands using fatty acid trophic markers
title_short A comparison of food sources of nudibranch mollusks at different depths off the Kuril Islands using fatty acid trophic markers
title_sort comparison of food sources of nudibranch mollusks at different depths off the kuril islands using fatty acid trophic markers
topic Nudibranchia
Food webs
Cold-water species
Dietary fatty acids
Lipids
url https://peerj.com/articles/12336.pdf
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