Pressure tolerance of tadpole larvae of the Atlantic ascidian Polyandrocarpa zorritensis: potential for deep-sea invasion

Resumo Dentre as teorias mais aceitas de como surgiu a fauna de oceano profundo está a de que organismos de águas rasas migraram para águas mais profundas e lá especiaram até originarem as comunidades de mar profundo atuais. No entanto, muitos organismos são impedidos de fazer longas migrações verticais por conta do aumento da pressão hidrostática. Larvas da ascídia Polyandrocarpa zorritensis foram submetidas a pressões de 1, 50, 100 e 200 atm. Taxas de sobrevivência, assentamento e metamorfose foram avaliadas após incubação de 24 horas em uma câmara de pressão. A maioria das larvas assentou (84%, 62%, 83% e 77%, respectivamente) e completou a metamorfose (93%, 59%, 85% e 60%) em todas as pressões. A mortalidade ficou abaixo de 15% para todas as pressões, com exceção do tratamento de 50 atm, em que a mortalidade ficou em 38%. Quase 100% das larvas sobreviventes completaram a metamorfose nos tratamentos de 1, 50 e 100 atm. No entanto, para o tratamento de 200 atm, 1/3 dos indivíduos ainda estavam no desenvolvimento larval e apresentaram um desenvolvimento atrasado. Esses resultados sugerem que larvas de ascídia podem suportar valores de pressão hidrostática que são encontrados no oceano profundo. Portanto, é provável que as atuais espécies de ascídias de oceano profundo podem tê-lo colonizado por meio de migrações verticais em algumas gerações.Abstract How deep-sea fauna evolved is a question still being investigated. One of the most accepted theories is that shallow water organisms migrated to deeper waters and gave origin to the deep-sea communities. However, many organisms are prevented from performing long vertical migrations by the increasing hydrostatic pressure. Tadpole larvae of the ascidian Polyandrocarpa zorritensis were submitted to pressure treatments of 1, 50, 100 and 200 atm. Survival, settlement and metamorphosis rates were verified after 24 hour incubation in a pressure chamber. The majority of larvae settled (84%, 62%, 83% and 77% respectively) and successfully underwent metamorphosis (93%, 59%, 85% and 60%) in all pressure treatments. Larval mortality was of less than 15% in all treatments, except for the 50 atm treatment, which presented 38% mortality. Nearly 100% of the surviving larvae underwent metamorphosis in the treatments of 1, 50 and 100 atm. However, 1/3 of the individuals were still in their larval stages in the 200 atm treatment and presented delayed development. These data suggest that ascidian larvae can withstand the hydrostatic pressure levels found in the deep-sea. It is therefore feasible that the current abyssal ascidian species may have colonized the deep-sea through vertical migration and in only a few generations

Pressure tolerance of tadpole larvae of the Atlantic ascidian Polyandrocarpa zorritensis: potential for deep-sea invasion

How deep-sea fauna evolved is a question still being investigated. One of the most accepted theories is that shallow water organisms migrated to deeper waters and gave origin to the deep-sea communities. However, many organisms are prevented from performing long vertical migrations by the increasing hydrostatic pressure. Tadpole larvae of the ascidian Polyandrocarpa zorritensis were submitted to pressure treatments of 1, 50, 100 and 200 atm. Survival, settlement and metamorphosis rates were verified after 24 hour incubation in a pressure chamber. The majority of larvae settled (84%, 62%, 83% and 77% respectively) and successfully underwent metamorphosis (93%, 59%, 85% and 60%) in all pressure treatments. Larval mortality was of less than 15% in all treatments, except for the 50 atm treatment, which presented 38% mortality. Nearly 100% of the surviving larvae underwent metamorphosis in the treatments of 1, 50 and 100 atm. However, 1/3 of the individuals were still in their larval stages in the 200 atm treatment and presented delayed development. These data suggest that ascidian larvae can withstand the hydrostatic pressure levels found in the deep-sea. It is therefore feasible that the current abyssal ascidian species may have colonized the deep-sea through vertical migration and in only a few generations. Dentre as teorias mais aceitas de como surgiu a fauna de oceano profundo está a de que organismos de águas rasas migraram para águas mais profundas e lá especiaram até originarem as comunidades de mar profundo atuais. No entanto, muitos organismos são impedidos de fazer longas migrações verticais por conta do aumento da pressão hidrostática. Larvas da ascídia Polyandrocarpa zorritensis foram submetidas a pressões de 1, 50, 100 e 200 atm. Taxas de sobrevivência, assentamento e metamorfose foram avaliadas após incubação de 24 horas em uma câmara de pressão. A maioria das larvas assentou (84%, 62%, 83% e 77%, respectivamente) e completou a metamorfose (93%, 59%, 85% e 60%) em todas as pressões. A mortalidade ficou abaixo de 15% para todas as pressões, com exceção do tratamento de 50 atm, em que a mortalidade ficou em 38%. Quase 100% das larvas sobreviventes completaram a metamorfose nos tratamentos de 1, 50 e 100 atm. No entanto, para o tratamento de 200 atm, 1/3 dos indivíduos ainda estavam no desenvolvimento larval e apresentaram um desenvolvimento atrasado. Esses resultados sugerem que larvas de ascídia podem suportar valores de pressão hidrostática que são encontrados no oceano profundo. Portanto, é provável que as atuais espécies de ascídias de oceano profundo podem tê-lo colonizado por meio de migrações verticais em algumas gerações. AbstrAct resumo Descritores: Oceano profundo, Pressão, Tolerância, Larva de ascídia, Polyandrocarpa zorritensis

Benthic megafauna habitats, community structure and environmental drivers at Rio Grande Rise (SW Atlantic)

The Rio Grande Rise (RGR) is a large and geomorphologically complex feature located in the Southwest Atlantic, with great commercial and scientific interest due to its potential for mining rare earth elements that are critical for low-carbon technologies. Brazilian interest in this area led to the submission of a petition to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in 2018 to include RGR on the limits of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. However, mining activities are potentially harmful to deep-sea ecosystems and will likely cause some extent of biodiversity loss. Thus, baseline and continuous environmental studies in the RGR are important to address potential conflicts between mineral extraction and the conservation of deep-sea biodiversity. The RGR is characterized by a series of summit plateaus of ∼600 m deep divided NE-SW by a rift valley, up to 2000 m deep. In 2018, the plateaus and rift of a small area in RGR (30°35′S – 31°03′S, 35°36′W – 36°16′W) were explored through 13 dives of the robotic underwater vehicle (RUV) HyBIS. Videos were analyzed for the description of structuring factors (topography and habitat types) and to record benthic megafauna occurrences. Video transects revealed highly heterogeneous and rapidly changing habitats. Eleven habitats, five in the rift and six in the plateaus are proposed based on geomorphology, slope, and substrate textures. We recorded 17,008 megabenthic organisms classified in 83 morphotypes and six different phyla, from which Porifera (42.7%) and Cnidaria (41.5%) were the most representative. Samples were characterized by a high dominance and the dissimilarities result chiefly from differences in abundance scores. PERMANOVA tests indicated that Habitat and Region variables were the most important to explain structure within the community data, followed by depth and slope. The rift floor exhibited a low abundance of megabenthic epifauna, except in a sinkhole in the northern part of the rift. The lower and upper rift wall were characterized by different communities delimited by the transition between the Antarctic Intermediate Water and the Upper Circumpolar Deep Water. The habitats formed by Fe–Mn deposits were dominated by distinct communities, which were rarely observed elsewhere. Additionally, we found variations in community structure at regional scales (20–30 km), with distinct communities on each side of the rift and at the southwest of the study area. Our results contribute toward understanding the diversity, biogeography, and environmental drivers of the RGR. Fauna distribution is patchy, linked to habitats with potential mining resources, and dominated by Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) indicator taxa. Extensive community analysis should occur at a given site prior to consideration for the exploitation of natural resources

Early development, survival and growth rates of the giant clam Tridacna crocea (Bivalvia: Tridacnidae)

Bivalves tridacnídeos são habitantes conspícuos dos recifes da região do Indo-Pacífico e são cultivados e comercializados para os mercados alimentício e aquarista. No estudo apresentado foram determinadas as taxas de crescimento diário durante a primeira semana de vida da larva do bivalve ornamental Tridacna crocea. As matrizes foram induzidas à desova por meio de uma injeção intragonadal de serotonina realizada através do orifício bissal. Após desova, ovócitos foram coletados, fertilizados e mantidos em béqueres de vidro e tanques de fluxo contínuo tratados com antibióticos para evitar contaminação. Larvas foram alimentadas em duas ocasiões com a microalga Isochrysis galbana e zooxantelas foram oferecidas também por duas vezes. O comprimento larval foi medido através de mesa digitalizadora conectada em um microcomputador. A mortalidade larval foi exponencial durante as primeiras 48 horas de vida, diminuindo em seguida. A taxa média de crescimento foi de 11,3 μm dia-1, aumentando para 18,0 μm dia-1 após a adição de simbiontes. A sobrevivência aumentou para 75% após a adição de zooxantelas. Os resultados apresentam a curva de crescimento para a larva de T. crocea e sugerem que a aquisição de simbiontes pela larva pode ser importante para o crescimento larval e sobrevivência mesmo antes delas completarem a metamorfose.Tridacnid clams are conspicuous inhabitants of Indo-Pacific coral reefs and are traded and cultivated for the aquarium and food industries. In the present study, daily growth rates of larvae of the giant clam Tridacna crocea were determined in the laboratory during the first week of life. Adults were induced to spawn via intra-gonadal serotonin injection through the byssal orifice. After spawning oocytes were collected, fertilized and kept in 3 L glass beakers and raceways treated with antibiotics to avoid culture contamination. Larvae were fed twice with the microalga Isochrysis galbana and zooxanthellae were also offered twice during the veliger stage (days 4 and 6). Larval length was measured using a digitizing tablet coupled to a microcomputer. Larval mortality was exponential during the first 48 hours of life declining significantly afterwards. Mean growth rate was 11.3 μm day-1, increasing after addition of symbionts to 18.0 μm day-1. Survival increased to ca. 75% after the addition of zooxanthellae. The results describe the growth curve for T. crocea larvae and suggest that the acquisition of symbionts by larvae may be useful for larval growth and survival even before larvae have attained metamorphosis

Effect ofplankton-derivedorganic matter on themicrobial community of coastal marine sediments

An experimental study was carried out to observe the microbial response to two different plankton-derived organic matter inputs in a coastal sedimentary community of Ubatuba, São Paulo, SE Brazil. The organic enrichment experiment was conducted in order to test experimentally the stimulus of the sediment prokaryotic community after the input of labile material simulating an algal bloom reaching the sea floor. A total of 57 corers (two treatments: the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutun and the phyto flagellate Tetraselmis sp. and a control) were maintained for a total of 30 days in constant temperature, circulation and oxygenation. After the addition of algae an increase in oxygen consumption was observed, accompanied by an increase of prokaryotic total and live density, showing an immediate response from the community to the input of labile material in the sediment. Analyses of molecular fingerprints of bacterial communities by denaturing gel gradien electrophoresis (DGGE) showed differences in bacterial community composition between both treatments and control just after algae addition. This was well evidenced after bacteria genomic libraries analyses that showed differences in diversity and dominance between treatments. In general, Gammaproteobacteria was the most diverse and abundant grouping the sediment samples. However, the addition of phytoflagellates led to as hiftin dominance in favor of Alphaproteobacteria while diatom input led to a greater bacterial diversit

Early development, survival and growth rates of the giant clam Tridacna crocea (Bivalvia: Tridacnidae)

Tridacnid clams are conspicuous inhabitants of Indo-Pacific coral reefs and are traded and cultivated for the aquarium and food industries. In the present study, daily growth rates of larvae of the giant clam Tridacna crocea were determined in the laboratory during the first week of life. Adults were induced to spawn via intra-gonadal serotonin injection through the byssal orifice. After spawning oocytes were collected, fertilized and kept in 3 L glass beakers and raceways treated with antibiotics to avoid culture contamination. Larvae were fed twice with the microalga Isochrysis galbana and zooxanthellae were also offered twice during the veliger stage (days 4 and 6). Larval length was measured using a digitizing tablet coupled to a microcomputer. Larval mortality was exponential during the first 48 hours of life declining significantly afterwards. Mean growth rate was 11.3 μm day-1, increasing after addition of symbionts to 18.0 μm day-1. Survival increased to ca. 75% after the addition of zooxanthellae. The results describe the growth curve for T. crocea larvae and suggest that the acquisition of symbionts by larvae may be useful for larval growth and survival even before larvae have attained metamorphosis

Benthic communitystructureandorganicmattervariationin response to oceanographic events on the Brazilian SE inner shelf

For 13 months, this study monitored the sedimentary organic matter composition, benthic bacteria and macro fauna at a permanent sampling station on the inner shelf(_ 40 depth) near Ubatuba in SE Brazil. The sedimentary organic matter compounds were evaluated for total organic matter content, lipid biomarkers and phyto pigments. The organic matter content varied significantly overtime but no clear seasonal trend was evident Lipid bio marker composition revealed that particulate organic matter was primarily derived from autochthonous sources, such as diatoms, other microalgae, zooplankton, sediment bacteria and benthic metazoan fauna. Phyto pigment results revealed that the majority of the organic matter in the sediments was refractory a supposed to labile, suggesting that the labile portion is rapidly consumed. The benthic dynamics off the coast of by the intrusion of the South Atlantic Central Water(SACW) on to the shelf, which brings nutrients up to the euphotic zone and stimulates new phyto planktonic production. This enhances the flux of organic matter to the bottom and increases benthic biota density, mainly bacteria .These results suggest a strong and complex benthic–pelagic coupling that is influenced by both mesoscale oceanographic events(i.e., intrusion of SACW) and local events (cold fronts) through remobilization f the sediment

Mesophotic reef fish assemblages of the remote St. Peter and St. Paul's Archipelago, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Brazil

Mesophotic reef fish assemblages (30-90 m depth) of the small and remote St. Peter and St. Paul's Archipelago (SPSPA), Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Brazil, were characterized using remotely operated vehicles. Ordination analyses identified distinct fish assemblages in the upper (30-50 m) and lower (50-90 m) mesophotic zones, the former characterized by high abundances of species that are also abundant at euphotic reefs (Caranx lugubris, Melichthys niger, Stegastes sanctipauli and Chromis multilineata) and the latter dominated by two mesophotic specialists (Prognathodes obliquus and Chromis enchrysura). Planktivores dominated fish assemblages, particularly in the upper mesophotic zone, possibly due to a greater availability of zooplankton coming from the colder Equatorial Undercurrent in mesophotic depths of the SPSPA. Turf algae, fleshy macroalgae and scleractinian corals dominated benthic assemblages between 30 and 40 m depth, while bryozoans, black corals and sponges dominated between 40 and 90 m depth. Canonical correspondence analysis explained 74 % of the relationship between environmental characteristics (depth, benthic cover and complexity) and structure of fish assemblages, with depth as the most important independent variable. Juveniles of Bodianus insularis and adults of P. obliquus and C. enchrysura were clearly associated with branching black corals (Tanacetipathes spp.), suggesting that black corals play key ecological roles in lower mesophotic reefs of the SPSPA. Results from this study add to the global database about mesophotic reef ecosystems (MREs) and provide a baseline for future evaluations of possible anthropogenic and natural disturbances on MREs of the SPSPA.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico-CNPqCNPqFundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ)Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Oceanog, Programa Posgrad Oceanog Biol, BR-05508120 Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Paraiba, Programa Posgrad Ciencias Biol Zool, BR-58059900 Joao Pessoa, PB, BrazilUniv Fed Paraiba, Programa Posgrad Ecol & Monitoramento Ambiental, BR-58297000 Rio Tinto, PB, BrazilUniv Estadual Paraiba, Programa Posgrad Ecol & Conservac, BR-58109753 Campina Grande, PB, BrazilUniv Fed Pernambuco, Dept Oceanog, Ctr Tecnol & Geociencias, BR-50670901 Recife, PE, BrazilUniv Fed Paraiba, Ctr Ciencias Exatas & Nat, Dept Sistemat & Ecol, BR-58051900 Joao Pessoa, PB, BrazilInst Pesquisas Jardim Bot Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Mar, Campus Baixada Santista, BR-11030400 Santos, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Biol, BR-21944970 Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, SAGE COPPE, BR-21944970 Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Inst Oceanog, Dept Oceanog Biol, BR-05508120 Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Paraiba, Dept Engn & Meio Ambiente, BR-58297000 Rio Tinto, PB, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Mar, Campus Baixada Santista, BR-11030400 Santos, SP, BrazilCNPq: 557185/09-2CNPq: 484875/2011-6Web of Scienc