![Chemical defence against predators in a sub-Arctic fjord [An article from: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology]](https://www.ebooknetworking.net/books/B00/0RQ/bigB000RQZ69W.jpg)
Chemical defence against predators in a sub-Arctic fjord [An article from: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology]
Book Details
PublisherElsevier
ISBN / ASINB000RQZ69W
ISBN-13978B000RQZ699
AvailabilityAvailable for download now
Sales Rank99,999,999
MarketplaceUnited States 🇺🇸
Description
This digital document is a journal article from Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
The development of chemical defences in marine organisms is supposed to be driven by intense pressure of predation and competition. While benthic communities in tropical and also Antarctic regions are thought to be mainly structured by intra- and interspecific interactions, these factors are proposed to be less important in northern high latitudes. Consequently, selective pressure for chemical defence should be low in these regions. To investigate the incidence of chemical defence against predation in northern high latitudes, crude extracts of 18 abundant sessile or slow-moving invertebrate species (4 sponges, 3 actinians, 1 soft coral, 4 bryozoans, 3 ascidians and the egg mass of a gastropod) from Kongsfjord (Spitsbergen) were tested for feeding deterrent activity. Laboratory assays were performed by offering artificial food with extracts to two different predators, the amphipod Anonyx nugax which is a common species in Kongsfjord, and the starfish Asterias rubens from the North Sea. Of the 18 extracts tested, 2 (Haliclona viscosa, Hormathia nodosa) exhibited significant feeding deterrent effects in the amphipod assay. Furthermore, 6 extracts had a significantly stimulating effect on the amphipod feeding, and 10 extracts did not affect consumption. In the starfish assay, only the crude extract of H. viscosa was significantly rejected. For H. viscosa, feeding deterrence could be established for two pure compounds, and for H. nodosa for one fraction. The present data show that feeding deterrent compounds are present in sub-Arctic marine invertebrates from Kongsfjord but are less abundant than in temperate, tropical and Antarctic species.
Description:
The development of chemical defences in marine organisms is supposed to be driven by intense pressure of predation and competition. While benthic communities in tropical and also Antarctic regions are thought to be mainly structured by intra- and interspecific interactions, these factors are proposed to be less important in northern high latitudes. Consequently, selective pressure for chemical defence should be low in these regions. To investigate the incidence of chemical defence against predation in northern high latitudes, crude extracts of 18 abundant sessile or slow-moving invertebrate species (4 sponges, 3 actinians, 1 soft coral, 4 bryozoans, 3 ascidians and the egg mass of a gastropod) from Kongsfjord (Spitsbergen) were tested for feeding deterrent activity. Laboratory assays were performed by offering artificial food with extracts to two different predators, the amphipod Anonyx nugax which is a common species in Kongsfjord, and the starfish Asterias rubens from the North Sea. Of the 18 extracts tested, 2 (Haliclona viscosa, Hormathia nodosa) exhibited significant feeding deterrent effects in the amphipod assay. Furthermore, 6 extracts had a significantly stimulating effect on the amphipod feeding, and 10 extracts did not affect consumption. In the starfish assay, only the crude extract of H. viscosa was significantly rejected. For H. viscosa, feeding deterrence could be established for two pure compounds, and for H. nodosa for one fraction. The present data show that feeding deterrent compounds are present in sub-Arctic marine invertebrates from Kongsfjord but are less abundant than in temperate, tropical and Antarctic species.
