A
puzzling relationship between amphipods and pteropods
Date: September 10, 2018
Source: Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre
for Polar and Marine Research
Pteropods
or sea snails, also called sea angels, produce chemical deterrents to ward off
predators, and some species of amphipods take advantage of this by carrying
pteropods piggyback to gain protection from their voracious predators. There is
no recognisable benefit for the pteropod. On the contrary they starve: captured
between the amphipod's legs they are unable to feed. Biologists working with Dr
Charlotte Havermans at the Alfred Wegener Institute have investigated this
phenomenon as part of a cooperation project with the University of Bremen. In
an article in the journal Marine Biodiversity, they talk about kidnapping
and explain the potential advantages of this association for both the host and
its passenger.
Amphipods
of the suborder Hyperiidea are popular prey for fish and sea birds. They play
an important role in the Southern Ocean food web, which is why biologist Dr
Charlotte Havermans is investigating the distribution, abundance and ecological
role of various species of amphipods. To do so, she is taking samples on board
the Research Vessel Polarstern from the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz
Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). She works at the University of
Bremen's working group Marine Zoology. The project is funded by the DFG (German
Research Foundation) in the Priority Programme on Antarctic Research.
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