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Ke, Z.; Huang, H.; Chen, D.; Tan, Y. (2024). Trophic relationship between mussels and scale worms under various seepage intensities in the haima cold seep: Insights from stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and C:N:P stoichiometry. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 206: 104264.
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10.1016/j.dsr.2024.104264 [view]
Ke, Z.; Huang, H.; Chen, D.; Tan, Y.
2024
Trophic relationship between mussels and scale worms under various seepage intensities in the haima cold seep: Insights from stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and C:N:P stoichiometry
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers
206: 104264
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Available for editors [request]
The deep-sea mussels Gigantidas haimaensis (Mytilidae: Bathymodiolinae) usually contain one scale worm
Branchipolynoe pettiboneae in their mantle cavity in the Haima cold seep, South China Sea. To explore their
environmental adaptation and coexistence mechanisms, the stable isotopes (d13C and d15N) and C:N:P ecological
stoichiometry of G. haimaensis and the associated B. pettiboneae were investigated under different methane
seepage intensities. In the presence of seepage, most mussels harbored one scale worm in their mantle cavity.
However, under seepage cease, the physiological status of mussels looked unhealthy, and no scale worm
appeared in their bodies. The variation in d13C values was great among different mussel tissues, ranging from
? 49.7‰ to ? 57.8‰. The d13C values of mussel tissues followed the order of foot > gill > mantle under active
seepage, while no regular trend was found under seepage cease. The d13C and d15N of scale worms were averagely
enriched by 2.9 ‰ and 3.2 ‰ relative to their mussel hosts, and the trophic niche separation between scale
worms and mussels was more significant under active seepage. The d13C value of mussel foot was significantly
higher under active seepage (average ? 50.8‰) than under seepage cease (average ? 55.1‰), indicating that
mussels might ingest and assimilate more 13C-rich suspended particulate organic matter (POM) under active
seepage. In mantle tissues, the high C:N ratio and low d13C value should be attributed to the high content of
energy storage substances. The C:N ratio of mantle dramatically declined with the exhaustion of energy storage
materials under seepage cease. The variation of P content was most significant in the gill, which might be
regulated by the abundance of symbiotic bacteria. It can be speculated that the dramatic decline of P content in
the gill was attributed to the loss of high-P bacterial symbionts under seepage cease. Both the C:P and N:P ratios
of gill tissues significantly increased under seepage cease, which suggested the decline of food quality for scale
worms. Mussel-dwelling scale worms might detect the change of food quality and abandon their starving mussel
host. Our results help to better understand the environmental adaptation of chemoautotrophic mussels and scale
worms under unstable seepage intensity in cold seep ecosystems.
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Branchipolynoe pettiboneae Miura & Hashimoto, 1991 (ecology source)