Spatial Variation in the Population Structure and Reproductive Biology of Rimicaris hybisae (Caridea: Alvinocarididae) at Hydrothermal Vents on the Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre
Open Access
- 29 March 2013
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS) in PLOS ONE
- Vol. 8 (3), e60319
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0060319
Abstract
The dynamics and microdistribution of faunal assemblages at hydrothermal vents often reflect the fine-scale spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the vent environment. This study examined the reproductive development and population structure of the caridean shrimp Rimicaris hybisae at the Beebe and Von Damm Vent Fields (Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre, Caribbean) using spatially discrete samples collected in January 2012. Rimicaris hybisae is gonochoric and exhibits iteroparous reproduction. Oocyte size-frequency distributions (21-823 µm feret diameters) varied significantly among samples. Embryo development was asynchronous among females, which may result in asynchronous larval release for the populations. Specimens of R. hybisae from the Von Damm Vent Field (2294 m) were significantly larger than specimens from the Beebe Vent Field. Brooding females at Von Damm exhibited greater size-specific fecundity, possibly as a consequence of a non-linear relationship between fecundity and body size that was consistent across both vent fields. Samples collected from several locations at the Beebe Vent Field (4944–4972 m) revealed spatial variability in the sex ratios, population structure, size, and development of oocytes and embryos of this mobile species. Samples from the Von Damm Vent Field and sample J2-613-24 from Beebe Woods exhibited the highest frequencies of ovigerous females and significantly female-biased sex ratios. Environmental variables within shrimp aggregations may influence the distribution of ovigerous females, resulting in a spatially heterogeneous pattern of reproductive development in R. hybisae, as found in other vent taxa.This publication has 38 references indexed in Scilit:
- Panmixia in a Fragmented and Unstable Environment: The Hydrothermal Shrimp Rimicaris exoculata Disperses Extensively along the Mid-Atlantic RidgePLOS ONE, 2012
- Hydrothermal vent fields and chemosynthetic biota on the world's deepest seafloor spreading centreNature Communications, 2012
- The Discovery of New Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Communities in the Southern Ocean and Implications for BiogeographyPLoS Biology, 2012
- Assessment of decadal-scale ecological change at a deep Mid-Atlantic hydrothermal vent and reproductive time-series in the shrimp Rimicaris exoculataJournal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2007
- Temporal and spatial variation in the reproductive ecology of the vent-endemic amphipod Ventiella sulfuris in the eastern PacificMarine Ecology Progress Series, 2007
- Survival of Deep-Sea Shrimp (Alvinocaris sp.) During Decompression and Larval Hatching at Atmospheric PressureMarine Biotechnology, 2005
- Spatial variation in the reproductive biology of Paralvinella palmiformis (Polychaeta: Alvinellidae) from a vent field on the Juan de Fuca RidgeMarine Ecology Progress Series, 2003
- Reproductive biology of three caridean shrimp, Rimicaris exoculata, Chorocaris chacei and Mirocaris fortunata (Caridea: Decapoda), from hydrothermal ventsJournal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2000
- Wax-ester reserves facilitate dispersal of hydrothermal vent shrimpsMarine Ecology Progress Series, 1997
- Embryology of vestimentiferan tube worms from deep-sea methane/sulphide seepsNature, 1996