Abstract

Finding prey is essential to survival, with marine predators hypothesised to track chemicals such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) while foraging. Many predators are attracted to artificially released DMS, and laboratory experiments have shown that zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton accelerates DMS release. However, whether natural DMS concentrations are useful for predators and correlated to areas of high prey biomass remains a fundamental knowledge gap. Here, we used concurrent hydroacoustic surveys and in situ DMS measurements to present evidence that zooplankton biomass is spatially correlated to natural DMS concentration in air and seawater. Using agent simulations, we also show that following gradients of DMS would lead zooplankton predators to areas of higher prey biomass than swimming randomly. Further understanding of the conditions and scales over which these gradients occur, and how they are used by predators, is essential to predicting the impact of future changes in the ocean on predator foraging success.

Kylie Owen et al. sample concurrent prey biomass and natural dimethyl sulfide (DMS) concentration, and show that these variables are correlated in air and seawater. Agent simulations show that following fine-scale gradients of DMS would lead zooplankton predators to higher prey biomass, shedding light on how marine predators may use these cues for foraging.

Details

Title
Natural dimethyl sulfide gradients would lead marine predators to higher prey biomass
Author
Owen, Kylie 1 ; Saeki Kentaro 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Warren, Joseph D 3 ; Bocconcelli Alessandro 4 ; Wiley, David N 5 ; Ohira Shin-Ichi 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Bombosch Annette 4 ; Toda Kei 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Zitterbart, Daniel P 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department, Woods Hole, USA (GRID:grid.56466.37) (ISNI:0000 0004 0504 7510); University of Tasmania, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Ecology & Biodiversity Centre, Battery Point, Australia (GRID:grid.1009.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 826X); Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.425591.e) (ISNI:0000 0004 0605 2864) 
 Kumamoto University, Department of Chemistry, Kumamoto, Japan (GRID:grid.274841.c) (ISNI:0000 0001 0660 6749) 
 Stony Brook University, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Southampton, USA (GRID:grid.36425.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2216 9681) 
 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department, Woods Hole, USA (GRID:grid.56466.37) (ISNI:0000 0004 0504 7510) 
 NOAA National Ocean Service, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Scituate, USA (GRID:grid.56466.37) 
 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department, Woods Hole, USA (GRID:grid.56466.37) (ISNI:0000 0004 0504 7510); Friedrich-Alexander-Universtät Erlangen-Nürnberg, Biophysics Lab, Erlangen, Germany (GRID:grid.5330.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 2107 3311); Kumamoto University, International Research Organization for Advanced Science and Technology (IROAST), Kumamoto, Japan (GRID:grid.274841.c) (ISNI:0000 0001 0660 6749) 
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
23993642
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2484413675
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.