Ctenophores are a highly impactful predatory guild in open oceanic ecosystems.

Fuente: PubMed
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Hauptverfasser: Irvine, Thomas, Costello, John H, Gemmell, Brad J, Sutherland, Kelly R, Corrales-Ugalde, Marco, Townsend, James P, Colin, Sean P
Format: Artículo científico
Sprache:en
Veröffentlicht: Current biology : CB 2025
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author Irvine, Thomas
Costello, John H
Gemmell, Brad J
Sutherland, Kelly R
Corrales-Ugalde, Marco
Townsend, James P
Colin, Sean P
author_facet Irvine, Thomas
Costello, John H
Gemmell, Brad J
Sutherland, Kelly R
Corrales-Ugalde, Marco
Townsend, James P
Colin, Sean P
Irvine, Thomas
Costello, John H
Gemmell, Brad J
Sutherland, Kelly R
Corrales-Ugalde, Marco
Townsend, James P
Colin, Sean P
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents Ctenophores are a highly impactful predatory guild in open oceanic ecosystems. Irvine, Thomas Costello, John H Gemmell, Brad J Sutherland, Kelly R Corrales-Ugalde, Marco Townsend, James P Colin, Sean P Animals Ctenophora Predatory Behavior Food Chain Oceans and Seas Zooplankton Ecosystem The emergence of optical plankton sampling techniques has revealed that gelatinous zooplankton predators are considerably more numerous than previously observed. This recognition of the widespread presence of gelatinous zooplankton challenges our understanding of oceanic food-web dynamics because gelatinous zooplankton have traditionally been viewed as only minor players in oceanic biogeochemical cycles, which are critical in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide. Ctenophores (commonly called comb jellies) can be numerically dominant predators in these gelatinous communities but are severely under-sampled due to their extremely delicate gelatinous bodies. To better understand their trophic impact, we used novel, non-invasive SCUBA techniques to document prey ingestion patterns of four widespread oceanic ctenophore species. We found that these ctenophores, on average, ingested 32 prey/h and up to 50 prey/h. At these rates, lobate and cestid ctenophores consume prey at similar rates to their highly impactful coastal relative, Mnemiopsis leidyi, and are likely the most impactful planktonic predator in the open oceans. Further, we showed that although major dietary components overlapped, different oceanic ctenophore species appear to consume different members of the plankton. Since these oceanic ctenophore species frequently co-occur, they comprise a powerful predatory guild with synergistic impacts. Consequently, epipelagic ctenophores have much greater trophic effects on material cycles over broad areas of the open ocean than previously considered.
format Artículo científico
id pubmed_40339573
institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2025
publisher Current biology : CB
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle Ctenophores are a highly impactful predatory guild in open oceanic ecosystems.
Irvine, Thomas
Costello, John H
Gemmell, Brad J
Sutherland, Kelly R
Corrales-Ugalde, Marco
Townsend, James P
Colin, Sean P
Animals
Ctenophora
Predatory Behavior
Food Chain
Oceans and Seas
Zooplankton
Ecosystem
Ctenophores are a highly impactful predatory guild in open oceanic ecosystems. Irvine, Thomas Costello, John H Gemmell, Brad J Sutherland, Kelly R Corrales-Ugalde, Marco Townsend, James P Colin, Sean P Animals Ctenophora Predatory Behavior Food Chain Oceans and Seas Zooplankton Ecosystem The emergence of optical plankton sampling techniques has revealed that gelatinous zooplankton predators are considerably more numerous than previously observed. This recognition of the widespread presence of gelatinous zooplankton challenges our understanding of oceanic food-web dynamics because gelatinous zooplankton have traditionally been viewed as only minor players in oceanic biogeochemical cycles, which are critical in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide. Ctenophores (commonly called comb jellies) can be numerically dominant predators in these gelatinous communities but are severely under-sampled due to their extremely delicate gelatinous bodies. To better understand their trophic impact, we used novel, non-invasive SCUBA techniques to document prey ingestion patterns of four widespread oceanic ctenophore species. We found that these ctenophores, on average, ingested 32 prey/h and up to 50 prey/h. At these rates, lobate and cestid ctenophores consume prey at similar rates to their highly impactful coastal relative, Mnemiopsis leidyi, and are likely the most impactful planktonic predator in the open oceans. Further, we showed that although major dietary components overlapped, different oceanic ctenophore species appear to consume different members of the plankton. Since these oceanic ctenophore species frequently co-occur, they comprise a powerful predatory guild with synergistic impacts. Consequently, epipelagic ctenophores have much greater trophic effects on material cycles over broad areas of the open ocean than previously considered.
title Ctenophores are a highly impactful predatory guild in open oceanic ecosystems.
topic Animals
Ctenophora
Predatory Behavior
Food Chain
Oceans and Seas
Zooplankton
Ecosystem
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40339573/