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Can mandible morphology help predict feeding habits in Antarctic amphipods?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2020

Loïc N. Michel Open the ORCID record for Loïc N. Michel [Opens in a new window] ,
Fabienne L. Nyssen ,
Patrick Dauby Open the ORCID record for Patrick Dauby [Opens in a new window]  and
Marie Verheye Open the ORCID record for Marie Verheye [Opens in a new window]
Loïc N. Michel*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Systematics and Animal Diversity, Freshwater and Oceanic Sciences Unit of reSearch (FOCUS), University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium Laboratory of Oceanology, Freshwater and Oceanic Sciences Unit of reSearch (FOCUS), University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium Current address: Ifremer, Centre de Bretagne, REM/EEP, Laboratoire Environnement Profond, F-29280 Plouzané, France
Fabienne L. Nyssen
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Systematics and Animal Diversity, Freshwater and Oceanic Sciences Unit of reSearch (FOCUS), University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Patrick Dauby
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Systematics and Animal Diversity, Freshwater and Oceanic Sciences Unit of reSearch (FOCUS), University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Marie Verheye
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Oceanology, Freshwater and Oceanic Sciences Unit of reSearch (FOCUS), University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
*
loicnmichel@gmail.com
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Abstract

In Antarctica, amphipods form a highly diverse group, occupy many different ecological niches and hold an important place in food webs. Here, we aimed to test whether differences in Antarctic amphipod feeding habits were reflected in their mandible morphology, and if mouthpart specialization could be used to describe amphipod trophic ecology. To do so, we compared mandible morphology in nine species spanning seven families and five functional groups (grazers, suspension feeders, generalist predators, specialist predators and scavengers). Mandible morphology adequately depicted some aspects of amphipod trophic ecology, such as the trophic level at which animals feed or their degree of dietary specialization. On the other hand, links between mandible morphology and amphipod diet were seldom unambiguous or straightforward. Similar adaptations were found in distinct functional groups. Conversely, mandible morphology could vary within a single functional group, and phylogenetic effects sometimes complicated the interpretation of form-function relationships. Overall, mandible morphology on its own was generally not sufficient to precisely predict amphipod feeding strategies. However, when combined with other methods (e.g. gut contents, trophic markers), it constitutes a valuable source of information for integrative studies of amphipod ecological diversity in the Southern Ocean.

Keywords

diet analysisfood websPeracaridascanning electron microscopySouthern Oceantrophic ecology
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 32 , Issue 6 , December 2020 , pp. 496 - 507
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Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2020

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Footnotes

†

These authors contributed equally to the manuscript and are co-first authors

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