Niche overlap between a cold-water coral and an associated sponge for isotopically-enriched particulate food sources.

ABSTRACT: The cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa is an ecosystem engineer that builds reef structures on the seafloor. The interaction of the reef topography with hydrodynamics is known to enhance the supply of suspended food sources to the reef communities. However, the reef framework is also a substrate for other organisms that may compete for the very same suspended food sources. Here, we used the passive suspension feeder Lophelia pertusa and the active suspension feeding sponge Hymedesmia coriacea as model organisms to study niche overlap using isotopically-enriched algae and bacteria as suspended food sources. The coral and the sponge were fed with a combination of 13C-enriched bacteria/15N-enriched algae or 15N-enriched bacteria/13C-enriched algae, which was subsequently traced into bulk tissu

SUBMITTER: van Oevelen D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5868806 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature