Using a thermistor flowmeter with attached video camera for monitoring sponge excurrent speed and oscular behaviour

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Abstract

A digital, four-channel thermistor flowmeter integrated with time-lapse cameras was developed as an experimental tool for measuring pumping rates in marine sponges, particularly those with small excurrent openings (oscula). Combining flowmeters with time-lapse imagery yielded valuable insights into the contractile behaviour of oscula in Cliona orientalis. Osculum cross-sectional area (OSA) was positively correlated to measured excurrent speeds (ES), indicating that sponge pumping and osculum contraction are coordinated behaviours. Both OSA and ES were positively correlated to pumping rate ( Q). Diel trends in pumping activity and osculum contraction were also observed, with sponges increasing their pumping activity to peak at midday and decreasing pumping and contracting oscula at night. Short-term elevation of the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) within the seawater initially decreased pumping rates by up to 90%, ultimately resulting in closure of the oscula and cessation of pumping.

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Lynda C. Schneider, Wayne S Rasband (2013)

For the past 25 years NIH Image and ImageJ software have been pioneers as open tools for the analysis of scientific images. We discuss the origins, challenges and solutions of these two programs, and how their history can serve to advise and inform other software projects.

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Surviving in a marine desert: the sponge loop retains resources within coral reefs.

Jasper M. de Goeij, Dick van Oevelen, Mark Vermeij … (2013)

Ever since Darwin's early descriptions of coral reefs, scientists have debated how one of the world's most productive and diverse ecosystems can thrive in the marine equivalent of a desert. It is an enigma how the flux of dissolved organic matter (DOM), the largest resource produced on reefs, is transferred to higher trophic levels. Here we show that sponges make DOM available to fauna by rapidly expelling filter cells as detritus that is subsequently consumed by reef fauna. This "sponge loop" was confirmed in aquarium and in situ food web experiments, using (13)C- and (15)N-enriched DOM. The DOM-sponge-fauna pathway explains why biological hot spots such as coral reefs persist in oligotrophic seas--the reef's paradox--and has implications for reef ecosystem functioning and conservation strategies.

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Could some coral reefs become sponge reefs as our climate changes?

James J. Bell, Simon K Davy, Timothy Jones … (2013)

Coral reefs across the world have been seriously degraded and have a bleak future in response to predicted global warming and ocean acidification (OA). However, this is not the first time that biocalcifying organisms, including corals, have faced the threat of extinction. The end-Triassic mass extinction (200 million years ago) was the most severe biotic crisis experienced by modern marine invertebrates, which selected against biocalcifiers; this was followed by the proliferation of another invertebrate group, sponges. The duration of this sponge-dominated period far surpasses that of alternative stable-ecosystem or phase-shift states reported on modern day coral reefs and, as such, a shift to sponge-dominated reefs warrants serious consideration as one future trajectory of coral reefs. We hypothesise that some coral reefs of today may become sponge reefs in the future, as sponges and corals respond differently to changing ocean chemistry and environmental conditions. To support this hypothesis, we discuss: (i) the presence of sponge reefs in the geological record; (ii) reported shifts from coral- to sponge-dominated systems; and (iii) direct and indirect responses of the sponge holobiont and its constituent parts (host and symbionts) to changes in temperature and pH. Based on this evidence, we propose that sponges may be one group to benefit from projected climate change and ocean acidification scenarios, and that increased sponge abundance represents a possible future trajectory for some coral reefs, which would have important implications for overall reef functioning. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Brian W. Strehlow

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): PeerJ

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): PeerJ

Journal ID (publisher-id): peerj

Journal ID (pmc): peerj

Title: PeerJ

Publisher: PeerJ Inc. (San Francisco, USA )

ISSN (Electronic): 2167-8359

Publication date (Electronic): 13 December 2016

Publication date Collection: 2016

Volume: 4

Electronic Location Identifier: e2761

Affiliations

[1 ]Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, School of Plant Biology, and Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia , Crawley, WA, Australia

[2 ]Western Australian Marine Science Institution , Crawley, WA, Australia

[3 ]Australian Institute of Marine Science , Townsville, QLD, Australia

Article

Publisher ID: 2761

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2761

PMC ID: 5157188

SO-VID: 32515e2d-5273-4e58-a480-7ef25b3233e6

License:

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.

History

Date received : 15 June 2016

Date accepted : 5 November 2016

Funding

Funded by: Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) Dredging Science Node

Funded by: Australian Research Council Future Fellowship

Award ID: FT120100480

This research was funded by the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) as part of the WAMSI Dredging Science Node, and made possible through investment from Chevron Australia, Woodside Energy Limited, BHP Billiton as environmental offsets and by co-investment from the WAMSI Joint Venture partners. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of WAMSI. NSW was funded by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship FT120100480. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Using a thermistor flowmeter with attached video camera for monitoring sponge excurrent speed and oscular behaviour

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Most cited references 50

NIH Image to ImageJ: 25 years of image analysis.

Surviving in a marine desert: the sponge loop retains resources within coral reefs.

Could some coral reefs become sponge reefs as our climate changes?

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