Greco Mattia, Westgård Adele, Sykes Freya E, Ezat Mohamed M, Meilland Julie
Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM), CSIC, Passeig MARítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, Barcelona 08003, Spain.
Cage - Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, Department of Geosciences, UIT, The Arctic University of Norway, Dramsveien 201, Tromso 9010, Norway.
J Plankton Res. 2023 Jul 5;45(4):652-660. doi: 10.1093/plankt/fbad031. eCollection 2023 Jul-Aug.
The trophic strategies of cold-water planktonic foraminifera are not well understood due to the challenge of culturing them in polar conditions. Here, we identify previously unknown ectoplasmic and cytoplasmic projections in three species of planktonic foraminifera thriving in polar and subpolar marine environments: , and . These structures were observed during routine monitoring of cultured specimens sampled from the Norwegian coast, Greenland Sea and Baffin Bay. Two types of projections were discovered, including permanent and non-permanent structures such as ectoplasmic roots, twigs and twig-like projections, similar to those observed in benthic taxa and . Additionally, a previously undescribed filopodia-like projection was observed in . We discuss the function, the ecological significance and the potential impact on pelagic processes of the presence of these structures in foraminifera species that occupy diverse niches in the water column. Our findings suggest that these structures may play an important role in the trophic strategies of cold-water planktonic foraminifera, and further research and observations are necessary to fully comprehend their significance in the carbon cycle.
由于在极地条件下培养冷水浮游有孔虫面临挑战，其营养策略尚未得到充分了解。在此，我们在三种生长于极地和亚极地海洋环境中的浮游有孔虫： 、 和 中，识别出了此前未知的外质和细胞质突起。这些结构是在对从挪威海岸、格陵兰海和巴芬湾采集的培养标本进行常规监测时观察到的。发现了两种类型的突起，包括永久性和非永久性结构，如外质根、小枝和小枝状突起，类似于在底栖类群 和 中观察到的那些。此外，在 中还观察到了一种此前未描述过的丝状伪足样突起。我们讨论了这些结构在占据水柱中不同生态位的有孔虫物种中的功能、生态意义以及对远洋过程的潜在影响。我们的研究结果表明，这些结构可能在冷水浮游有孔虫的营养策略中发挥重要作用，需要进一步的研究和观察来全面理解它们在碳循环中的意义。
