Mammoth grazers on the ocean’s minuteness: a review of selective feeding using mucous meshes
| Type | : | ACL |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | : | Production scientifique |
| Au bénéfice du Laboratoire | : | Oui |
| Statut de publication | : | Publié |
| Année de publication | : | 2018 |
| Auteurs (3) | : | CONLEY Keats,r LOMBARD Fabien SUTHERLAND Kelly,r |
| Revue scientifique | : | Proceedings of The Royal Society B-biological Sciences |
| Volume | : | 285 |
| Fascicule | : | 65535 |
| Pages | : | |
| DOI | : | 10.1098/rspb.2018.0056 |
| URL | : | http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.0056 |
| Abstract | : | Mucous-mesh grazers (pelagic tunicates and thecosome pteropods) are common in oceanic waters and efficiently capture, consume and repackage particles many orders of magnitude smaller than themselves. They feed using an adhesive mucous mesh to capture prey particles from ambient seawater. Historically, their grazing process has been characterized as non-selective, depending only on the size of the prey particle and the pore dimensions of the mesh. The purpose of this review is to reverse this assump-tion by reviewing recent evidence that shows mucous-mesh feeding can be selective. We focus on large planktonic microphages as a model of selective mucus feeding because of their important roles in the ocean food web: as bac-terivores, prey for higher trophic levels, and exporters of carbon via mucous aggregates, faecal pellets and jelly-falls. We identify important functional vari-ations in the filter mechanics and hydrodynamics of different taxa. We review evidence that shows this feeding strategy depends not only on the particle size and dimensions of the mesh pores, but also on particle shape and surface prop-erties, filter mechanics, hydrodynamics and grazer behaviour. As many of these organisms remain critically understudied, we conclude by suggesting priorities for future research. |
| Mots-clés | : | - |
| Commentaire | : | - |
| Tags | : | - |
| Fichier attaché | : | - |
| Citation | : |
Conley KR, Lombard F, Sutherland KR (2018) Mammoth grazers on the ocean’s minuteness: a review of selective feeding using mucous meshes. P Roy Soc B-biol Sci 285 | doi: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0056
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