[en] wood falls ; deep sea ; Munidopsis andamanica
[fr] bois coulés ; océan profond ; Pacifique
[en] Wood falls in the deep sea have recently become the focus of studies showing their importance as nutrients on the deep-sea Xoor. In such environments, Crustaceans constitute numerically the second-largest group after Mollusks. Many questions have arisen regarding their trophic role therein. A careful examination of the feeding appendages, gut contents, and gut lining of Munidopsis andamanica caught with wood falls revealed this species as a truly original detritivorous species using wood and the biofilm covering it as two main food sources. Comparing individuals from other geographic areas from substrates not reported highlights the galatheid crab as specialist of refractory substrates, especially vegetal remains. M. andamanica also exhibits a resident gut microXora consisting of bacteria and fungi possibly involved in the digestion of wood fragments. The results suggest that Crustaceans could be full-fledged actors in the food chains of sunken-wood ecosystems and that feeding habits of some squat lobsters could be different than scavenging.
Unité de Morphologie Ultrastructurale
Fonds pour la formation à la Recherche dans l'Industrie et dans l'Agriculture (Communauté française de Belgique) - FRIA ; Belgian Fund for Joint Basic Research (F.R.F.C Belgium, convention no. 2.4594.07.F)
GDRE-DIWOOD research program (“Diversity, Establishment, and Function of Organisms Associated with Marine Wood Falls”)
Researchers ; Professionals ; Students ; General public