Role of Astrophorina sponges (Demospongiae) in food-web interactions at the Flemish Cap (NW Atlantic)

T Stratmann*, FJ Murillo, M Sacau, MK Alonso, E Kenchington

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Deep-sea sponges are important contributors to carbon and nitrogen cycling due to their large filtration capacity. Species of the suborder Astrophorina form dense sponge grounds in the North Atlantic, where they serve as prey for spongivores, but also have non-trophic interactions with commensal epi- and endobionts. At the Flemish Cap (NW Atlantic), Astrophorina sponges are present in 4 previously described deep-sea epifaunal assemblages: the deep-sea coral assemblage, lower slope assemblages 1 and 2, and the deep-sea sponge assemblage. To investigate their role in trophic and non-trophic interactions at the Flemish Cap, we developed trophic and non-trophic interaction web models for each of the 4 faunal assemblages using the published literature. By excluding the sponges from the models, we estimated how many trophic, and facultative and obligatory non-trophic, interactions would be lost, and how this removal affected food-web properties (number of compartments, links, link density, and connectance). Astrophorina sponges were mostly linked via facultative non-trophic interactions to 59, 58, 84, and 90 compartments in the deep-sea coral, the lower slope 1 and 2, and the deep-sea sponge assemblages, respectively. Direct trophic interactions only existed with Syllidae, Echinasteridae, and Pterasteridae. Astrophorina sponges were considered highest impact taxa in all faunal assemblages and, together with sea pens, they were identified as structural species/habitat formers and foundation species in the deep-sea coral and deep-sea sponge habitat. Hence, even less abundant, or non-representative (indicator), species can be important for food-web integrity via trophic and non-trophic interactions.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)99-116
Number of pages18
JournalMarine Ecology Progress Series
Volume729
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Feb 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© T. Stratmann, M. Sacau, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada 2024.

Funding

Data from the box corers and rock dredges used in this study were collected under the NAFO Potential Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems-Impacts of Deep-sea Fisheries project (NEREIDA). The project was supported by Spain's General Secretary of the Sea (SGM), Spain's Ministry for the Rural and Marine Environment, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, the Geological Survey of Canada, the Canadian Hydrographic Service, the Ocean and Ecosystem Science Division of Fisheries and Ocean Canada (DFO), the UK's Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), the Russian Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography, and the Russian P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (RAS). We acknowledge the hard work of the crew and scientists aboard the Spanish RV 'Miguel Oliver' who collected the samples analyzed in this study. Groundfish surveys were co-funded by the EU through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) within the National Program of collection, management, and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy. We further thank Cam Lirette (DFO) for his assistance in compiling the data for our use and our colleagues in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Working Group on Ecosystem Science and Assessment (WG-ESA). T.S. was supported by the Dutch Research Council NWO (NWO-Rubicon grant no. 019.182EN.012, NWO-Talent program Veni grant no. VI.Veni.212.211). A pre-print of this work is available on https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.06.539722v1.full.pdf.

FundersFunder number
Canadian Hydrographic Service
Dutch Research Council NWO
Ministry for the Rural and Marine Environment
NWO-Rubicon019.182EN.012
NWO-Talent
Russian P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology
Russian Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
Dairy Farmers of Ontario
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
European Commission
Instituto Español de Oceanografía
Researchlab Autonomous Shipping
Commission Géologique du Canada

    Keywords

    • Connectance
    • Data modeling
    • Deep-sea benthos
    • Food-web
    • Geodia sp.
    • Presence-absence

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