Penguin guano suppresses the grazing rate and modifies swimming behavior in Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba)

IF 2.8 2区生物学 Q1 MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY

Frontiers in Marine Science Pub Date : 2025-03-20 DOI:10.3389/fmars.2025.1508287

Nicole Hellessey, Marc Weissburg, David M. Fields

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Abstract

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are a key component of the Antarctic ecosystem linking primary and some secondary production to higher trophic levels including fish, penguins, seals, and whales. Understanding their response to environmental stimuli therefore provides insights into the trophic ecology of Antarctic systems. This laboratory study quantified the influence of penguin guano, a presumptive predator cue, chlorophyll concentration and flow speed on krill swimming behavior. In addition, ingestion rates with and without guano were measured. Such inquiries are necessary to determine if predator risk cues modify krill activities in ways that have consequences for other members of the Antarctic trophic web. Krill often exhibited acute turns when guano was present and varied their swimming speeds more when guano was present. These are both indicators of avoidance behavior to the negative chemical cues represented by penguin guano. Similarly, krill’s ingestion rates dropped significantly for a prolonged period of time in the presence of guano. This decrease in feeding will have impacts on krill’s nutritional value to their predators, prey uptake rates (prey survival) and the sequestration of carbon to the deep ocean as krill decrease their defecation rates. This study supports the hypothesis that krill use chemical signals to detect and behaviorally respond to food and predation risk.

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Marine Science Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Aquatic Science

CiteScore

5.10

自引率

16.20%

发文量

2443

审稿时长

14 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Marine Science publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research that advances our understanding of all aspects of the environment, biology, ecosystem functioning and human interactions with the oceans. Field Chief Editor Carlos M. Duarte at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, policy makers and the public worldwide. With the human population predicted to reach 9 billion people by 2050, it is clear that traditional land resources will not suffice to meet the demand for food or energy, required to support high-quality livelihoods. As a result, the oceans are emerging as a source of untapped assets, with new innovative industries, such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology, marine energy and deep-sea mining growing rapidly under a new era characterized by rapid growth of a blue, ocean-based economy. The sustainability of the blue economy is closely dependent on our knowledge about how to mitigate the impacts of the multiple pressures on the ocean ecosystem associated with the increased scale and diversification of industry operations in the ocean and global human pressures on the environment. Therefore, Frontiers in Marine Science particularly welcomes the communication of research outcomes addressing ocean-based solutions for the emerging challenges, including improved forecasting and observational capacities, understanding biodiversity and ecosystem problems, locally and globally, effective management strategies to maintain ocean health, and an improved capacity to sustainably derive resources from the oceans.