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Gelatinous filter feeders increase ecosystem efficiency
Michael R Stukel1,2, Moira Décima3, Christian K Fender4
1Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA. mstukel@fsu.edu.
Communications Biology
|August 23, 2024
Summary
Gelatinous zooplankton like salps significantly increase energy transfer in marine food webs, even when consuming small producers. Their inclusion in models is crucial for accurate climate change impact predictions.
Area of Science:
- Marine Ecology
- Oceanography
- Food Web Dynamics
Background:
- Gelatinous filter feeders, such as salps, exhibit high filtration rates and unique feeding capabilities.
- Despite their ecological significance, these organisms are often omitted from ecosystem and climate models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the food web and trophic dynamics influenced by salp blooms in the Southern Ocean.
- To assess the impact of salp abundance on energy flux and ecosystem transfer efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Utilized traditional productivity and grazing measurements.
- Employed compound-specific isotopic analysis of amino acids to determine trophic positions.
- Conducted Lagrangian framework experiments in the Southern Ocean.
Main Results:
- Salp trophic positions (2.2 ± 0.3) were lower than smaller mesozooplankton (2.6 ± 0.4), indicating a primarily herbivorous diet.
- Salp abundance increased potential energy flux to larger organisms by an order of magnitude.
- Changes in herbivore communities, not primary producer dynamics, better predicted ecosystem transfer efficiency.
Conclusions:
- Gelatinous zooplankton play a critical role in marine food web energy transfer.
- Complex consumer interactions and intraguild predation impact climate change predictions.
- Incorporating these dynamics into models is essential for forecasting marine ecosystem responses to environmental change.
