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<p>Marine nematodes dominate the meiofauna of benthic sediments, but few have investigated their trophic roles. We studied the eukaryote diet composition of nematodes from sediments on the Arctic Barents Sea shelf, shelf break and adjacent Nansen Basin, during four seasons, using prey metabarcoding of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene. Monhysterida (n = 35 individuals), Chromadorida (34), Araeolaimida (27) and Enoplida (22) nematodes were most frequently observed across the study area, and diets were composed of diverse metazoan, fungal, and protist prey. In contrast to ambient sediment communities, prey followed a strong seasonal pattern, and ordination indicated two distinct seasonal prey clusters. In March and May prey were characterized by high relative abundances of fungi (42% and 48%, respectively). In comparison, August and December compositions had high relative abundances of arthropods (30% and 28%) and peritrich ciliates (11% and 9%, respectively). Notable protist prey included chlorophytes and dinoflagellates, whereas diatoms were highly abundant in the ambient sediment communities, but virtually absent as prey. Nematode taxonomy and buccal cavity morphology explained little of the variation in prey composition. Our results thus indicate that Arctic nematodes are generalists, which despite differences in morphology, can feed on a variety of eukaryotes. They further indicate that heterotrophs, such as fungi and arthropods, are important dietary items, although further studies need to determine the nature of interactions. Such dietary flexibility may enable nematodes to fuel continuous growth and reproduction in Arctic sediments where food items are seasonally varied.</p>

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Eukaryote diets in Arctic marine nematodes across seasons and shelf-to-basin gradients

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月30日

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  • Snorre Flo,
  • Bodil Annikki Bluhm,
  • Camilla Svensen,
  • Kim Præbel,
  • Anna Vader

摘要

Marine nematodes dominate the meiofauna of benthic sediments, but few have investigated their trophic roles. We studied the eukaryote diet composition of nematodes from sediments on the Arctic Barents Sea shelf, shelf break and adjacent Nansen Basin, during four seasons, using prey metabarcoding of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene. Monhysterida (n = 35 individuals), Chromadorida (34), Araeolaimida (27) and Enoplida (22) nematodes were most frequently observed across the study area, and diets were composed of diverse metazoan, fungal, and protist prey. In contrast to ambient sediment communities, prey followed a strong seasonal pattern, and ordination indicated two distinct seasonal prey clusters. In March and May prey were characterized by high relative abundances of fungi (42% and 48%, respectively). In comparison, August and December compositions had high relative abundances of arthropods (30% and 28%) and peritrich ciliates (11% and 9%, respectively). Notable protist prey included chlorophytes and dinoflagellates, whereas diatoms were highly abundant in the ambient sediment communities, but virtually absent as prey. Nematode taxonomy and buccal cavity morphology explained little of the variation in prey composition. Our results thus indicate that Arctic nematodes are generalists, which despite differences in morphology, can feed on a variety of eukaryotes. They further indicate that heterotrophs, such as fungi and arthropods, are important dietary items, although further studies need to determine the nature of interactions. Such dietary flexibility may enable nematodes to fuel continuous growth and reproduction in Arctic sediments where food items are seasonally varied.