Burrow forms, growth rates and feeding rates of wood-boring Xylophagaidae bivalves revealed by micro-computed tomography
Burrow forms, growth rates and feeding rates of wood-boring Xylophagaidae bivalves revealed by micro-computed tomography
Wood sinking into the deep sea is often colonized by species of the bivalve subfamily Xylophagaidae; specialist organisms that bore into it and digest cellulose with the aid of symbiotic bacteria. Very little is known about the nature of Xylophagaidae borings, Xylophagaidae abundances and population size structures, their rates of growth and their consumption rates of wood. To investigate this, several sets of experimental wood packages were deployed and retrieved: two sets from two seamount sites on the Southwest Indian Ridge (732–750 m), one from the Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre in the Caribbean (4773 m), and three sets from 500 m in the Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas. The wood samples were scanned using X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). The wood at each deployment site was colonized by a different species of xylophagaid. Making novel use of micro-CT images, the morphology of intact xylophagaid borings were shown to resemble Prince Rupert's Drops with “drop lengths” varying between species. Mean sizes of Xylophagaidae and mean minimum growth rates (2.55–8.76 mm year?1) varied among species also. Rates of wood degradation were up to 60 cm3 per year per 100 individuals but in reality, this may have been an underestimate. This analysis has given insight into the importance of the subfamily Xylophagaidae with regard to wood remineralization in the deep sea.
Amon, Diva J.
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Sykes, Daniel
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Ahmed, Farah
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Copley, Jonathan T.
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Kemp, Kirsty M.
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Tyler, Paul A.
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Young, Craig M.
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Glover, Adrian G.
91192a3a-fc25-4c1f-b062-2e4da183272e
14 April 2015
Amon, Diva J.
c2aadd2c-e1e1-4f4f-9e2f-1a55d6de3ebc
Sykes, Daniel
4c302d69-1c7b-43bb-a22e-b60cb0d6b0a2
Ahmed, Farah
78eda7ad-2f4b-4679-8e5b-932949addbe8
Copley, Jonathan T.
5f30e2a6-76c1-4150-9a42-dcfb8f5788ef
Kemp, Kirsty M.
7780a4df-ce5a-4751-9ea6-cb173e863103
Tyler, Paul A.
d1965388-38cc-4c1d-9217-d59dba4dd7f8
Young, Craig M.
fbf542be-319f-48ba-a8be-3db18e73b385
Glover, Adrian G.
91192a3a-fc25-4c1f-b062-2e4da183272e
Amon, Diva J., Sykes, Daniel, Ahmed, Farah, Copley, Jonathan T., Kemp, Kirsty M., Tyler, Paul A., Young, Craig M. and Glover, Adrian G.
(2015)
Burrow forms, growth rates and feeding rates of wood-boring Xylophagaidae bivalves revealed by micro-computed tomography.
Frontiers in Marine Science, 2.
(doi:10.3389/fmars.2015.00010).
Abstract
Wood sinking into the deep sea is often colonized by species of the bivalve subfamily Xylophagaidae; specialist organisms that bore into it and digest cellulose with the aid of symbiotic bacteria. Very little is known about the nature of Xylophagaidae borings, Xylophagaidae abundances and population size structures, their rates of growth and their consumption rates of wood. To investigate this, several sets of experimental wood packages were deployed and retrieved: two sets from two seamount sites on the Southwest Indian Ridge (732–750 m), one from the Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre in the Caribbean (4773 m), and three sets from 500 m in the Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas. The wood samples were scanned using X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). The wood at each deployment site was colonized by a different species of xylophagaid. Making novel use of micro-CT images, the morphology of intact xylophagaid borings were shown to resemble Prince Rupert's Drops with “drop lengths” varying between species. Mean sizes of Xylophagaidae and mean minimum growth rates (2.55–8.76 mm year?1) varied among species also. Rates of wood degradation were up to 60 cm3 per year per 100 individuals but in reality, this may have been an underestimate. This analysis has given insight into the importance of the subfamily Xylophagaidae with regard to wood remineralization in the deep sea.
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Published date: 14 April 2015
Organisations:
Ocean and Earth Science
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Local EPrints ID: 386032
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/386032
PURE UUID: 228b2d74-793c-41c6-892d-ceb9736b01f2
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Date deposited: 18 Jan 2016 10:49
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:48
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Author:
Diva J. Amon
Author:
Daniel Sykes
Author:
Farah Ahmed
Author:
Kirsty M. Kemp
Author:
Craig M. Young
Author:
Adrian G. Glover
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