Recycling pathways in cold-water coral reefs: Use of dissolved organic matter and bacteria by key suspension feeding taxa

摘要

Potential recycling pathways on cold-water coral reefs, and experimental investigation. ( ) Suspension feeders on the reef may exploit enhanced concentrations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and bacteria, transfer it to tissue biomass, and utilize it for respiration and the production of particulate waste such as sponge detritus or bivalve (pseudo-)feces. Particulate waste material may be recycled by reef detritivores. ( ) The indicated hypothesized ‘recycling’ pathways (green and blue arrows) were verified in two laboratory stable isotope C-tracer experiments, using the artificially C-enriched substrates DOM (diatom-derived), bacteria, and (pseudo-)feces.