Dataset Information

Trends in body size across an environmental gradient: a differential response in scavenging and non-scavenging demersal deep-sea fish.

ABSTRACT: Body size trends across environmental gradients are widely reported but poorly understood. Here, we investigate contrasting relationships between size (body mass) and depth in the scavenging and predatory demersal ichthyofauna (800-4800 m) of the North-east Atlantic. The mean size of scavenging fish, identified as those regularly attracted to baited cameras, increased significantly with depth, while in non-scavengers there was a significant decline in size. The increase in scavenger size is a consequence of both intra and inter-specific effects. The observation of opposing relationships, in different functional groups, across the same environmental gradient indicates ecological rather than physiological causes. Simple energetic models indicate that the dissimilarity can be explained by different patterns of food distribution. While food availability declines with depth for both groups, the food is likely to be in large, randomly distributed packages for scavengers and as smaller but more evenly distributed items for predators. Larger size in scavengers permits higher swimming speeds, greater endurance as a consequence of larger energy reserves and lower mass specific metabolic rate, factors that are critical to survival on sporadic food items.

SUBMITTER: Collins MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1559896 | biostudies-other | 2005 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Trends in body size across an environmental gradient: a differential response in scavenging and non-scavenging demersal deep-sea fish.

Collins M A MA Bailey D M DM Ruxton G D GD Priede I G IG

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20051001 1576

Body size trends across environmental gradients are widely reported but poorly understood. Here, we investigate contrasting relationships between size (body mass) and depth in the scavenging and predatory demersal ichthyofauna (800-4800 m) of the North-east Atlantic. The mean size of scavenging fish, identified as those regularly attracted to baited cameras, increased significantly with depth, while in non-scavengers there was a significant decline in size. The increase in scavenger size is a co ...[more]

PMID: 16191616

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Project description:Analyses of environmental DNA (eDNA) from macroorganisms in aquatic environments have greatly advanced in recent years. In particular, eDNA metabarcoding of fish using universal PCR primers has been reported in various waters. Although pumped deep-sea water was used for eDNA metabarcoding of deep-sea fish, conventional methods only resulted in small amounts of extracted eDNA and subsequent few or no PCR amplicons. To optimize eDNA metabarcoding of deep-sea fish from pumped deep-sea water, we modified conventional procedures of eDNA extraction and PCR amplification. Here, we propose a modified eDNA extraction method, in which a filter used for eDNA sampling was shredded and incubated in microtubes for efficient lysis of eDNA sources. Total eDNA yield extracted using the modified protocol was approximately six-fold higher than that extracted by the conventional protocol. The PCR enzyme Platinum SuperFi II DNA Polymerase successfully amplified a target region of fish universal primers (MiFish) from trace amounts of eDNA extracted from pumped deep-sea water and suppressed nonspecific amplifications more effectively than the enzyme used in conventional methods. Approximately 93% of the sequence reads acquired by next generation sequencing of these amplicons were derived from fish. The improved procedure presented here provided effective eDNA metabarcoding of deep-sea fish.•A modified eDNA extraction protocol, in which a filter was shredded and incubated in microtubes, increased eDNA yields extracted from pumped deep-sea water over the conventional method.•The PCR enzyme Platinum SuperFi II DNA polymerase improved the amplification efficiency of trace amounts of MiFish objectives in eDNA extracted from pumped deep-sea water with suppressing nonspecific amplifications.•The use of Platinum SuperFi II DNA polymerase for eDNA metabarcoding using MiFish primers resulted in the acquisition of abundant sequence reads of deep-sea fish through next generation sequencing.

Dataset Information

Trends in body size across an environmental gradient: a differential response in scavenging and non-scavenging demersal deep-sea fish.

Publications

Trends in body size across an environmental gradient: a differential response in scavenging and non-scavenging demersal deep-sea fish.

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