Diversity and abundances of foraminifera in living sponges of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea
- Author(s)
- Bianca Lintner, Michael Lintner, Jutta Wollenburg, Erik Wurz, Petra Heinz
- Abstract
Foraminifera nourishing on fresh organic matter often exhibit an epibiotic or even an epizoic lifestyle. This study investigates the colonization of sponges by foraminifera. For this purpose, 12 siliceous sponges of different genera (Asconema, Geodia, Lissodendoryx and Schaudinnia) and order Haplosclerida were collected in 2018 with a ROV in water depths of 223 to 625 m in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea. Sponges were stained with a Rose Bengal/ethanol mixture to allow a differentiation between foraminifera that had been recently alive and empty tests. Each sponge sample contained 3–42 dead and 1–10 living foraminiferal individuals per cm3 and summarizing up to 78 different taxa on one single sponge (Geodia phlegraei). Even on Geodia barretti, which is able to release barrettin (an alkaloid) to avoid colonialization by other organisms, living foraminiferal individuals (1 ind./cm3) were observed. The highest foraminiferal densities (living and dead individuals) were recorded on Haplosclerida sp. (49 ind./cm3) and Geodia sp. (45 ind./cm3). The lowest densities of foraminifera were found on G. barretti (3–14 ind./cm3) and on Lissodendoryx complicata (9 ind./cm3). The foraminiferal diversity ranges from 7.04 to 17.38 for Fisher α and from 2.40 to 3.33 (Shannon-Wiener (H)S). The highest diversity was found on G. phlegraei and the lowest one on L. complicata. This study is highlighting the ecosystem engineering role of sponges providing niche habitats for a high number of foraminifera.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Palaeontology
- External organisation(s)
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Wageningen University and Research Centre
- Journal
- Journal of Sea Research
- Volume
- 187
- No. of pages
- 8
- ISSN
- 1385-1101
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2022.102245
- Publication date
- 09-2022
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106021 Marine biology, 105118 Palaeontology
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Aquatic Science, Oceanography
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 14 - Life Below Water
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/0ab1379f-0b3c-484a-8a7d-ba5f74be2808