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Distribution and seasonal abundance of Polygordius spp. (Class: Polychaeta; Family: Polygordiidae) exo- and endolarvae in the southern Mid-Atlantic Bight, USA

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Abstract

The importance life history plays in understanding population dynamics and the functional roles of species for predicting climate change scenarios are well established. Yet, in the marine environment, the complete life history is unknown for many species, especially the link between morphologically and ecologically distinct planktonic larvae, and their corresponding benthic adult forms. Integration of meroplankton abundance, benthic adult species, larval morphology, and molecular data was employed to unravel the complete life history of Polygordius, a dominant polychaete in sandy shelf sediments of the Mid-Atlantic Bight. Polygordius species are unusual, having two distinct planktonic larval forms: an exolarva and an endolarva. Extensive sampling in the southern Mid-Atlantic Bight with careful preservation of meroplankton (2006–2007) revealed the identity of multiple stages of exo- and endolarvae, and their spatial, seasonal, and vertical distribution. Molecular and morphological evidence indicated exolarvae are Polygordius jouinae and endolarva are an undescribed species. Structure and development of these larvae differed greatly. P. jouinae exolarvae were found off Delaware Bay to North Carolina. At some stations, they were abundant, with densities up to 4,013 m−3, comprising >90 % of the total meroplankton. Exolarvae spent up to a month in the plankton starting in March/May depending on year, settlement began in July when larvae were at least 2 mm in length, and by October were no longer observed in the plankton. These findings are consistent with the distribution patterns and life cycle known for adults. This is the first report of endolarvae north of Cape Hatteras.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the captains and crew of the R/V Hugh R. Sharp and the R/V Philip N. Parker for all their help during cruises. We especially acknowledge Millersville students Andrea Peck and Michele Winsor for discovering the Polygordius exolarvae in the 2006 spatial and seasonal samples, and to Denise Smith for her discovery of the endolarvae in the 2007 seasonal samples. Much appreciation also goes to Silke Laakmann (German Center for Marine Biodiversity Research, DZMB) who kindly extracted DNA and PCR products from the exolarvae; Dieter Fiege (Research Institute and Natural History Museum Senckenberg Frankfurt) who helped to set up and provided instruction on using the light microscopic camera imaging system to P.A. Ramey-Balcı; Heidi Fuchs (Rutgers University) for kindly providing two of her images of live Polygordius larvae for inclusion in this manuscript (Fig. 8a, b); and to Carola Noji who translated relevant larval literature from German to English for us in May 2010. Special thanks also to Judy Grassle (Rutgers University) for her advice and input throughout this study, as well as for her helpful comments on several earlier versions of the manuscript. This research was supported by NOAA and NASA under award #NA03NOS4730220, which was managed by Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology, Herndon, Virginia. The statements, findings, and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or the US Department of Commerce. Additional support was provided by Millersville University of Pennsylvania with Faculty Research Grants, Faculty Release Time Grants, and a Sabbatical Leave awarded to J.W. Ambler. Facilities, supplies, and financial support to P.A. Ramey-Balcı were provided by Rutgers University, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences; Research and Natural History Museum Senckenberg, Frankfurt; and German Science Foundation Grant (DFG) no. FI 433/10-1 to D. Fiege. This is contribution number CBFS-14-B-01-FAC for the Chincoteague Bay Field Station.

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  1. Marine Group, Environment and Cleaner Production Institute, Marmara Research Center, TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey), Gebze, Kocaeli, 41470, Turkey

    Patricia A. Ramey-Balcı

  2. Department of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA, 17551, USA

    Julie W. Ambler

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  1. Patricia A. Ramey-Balcı
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Correspondence to Patricia A. Ramey-Balcı.

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Ramey-Balcı, P.A., Ambler, J.W. Distribution and seasonal abundance of Polygordius spp. (Class: Polychaeta; Family: Polygordiidae) exo- and endolarvae in the southern Mid-Atlantic Bight, USA. Mar Biol 161, 1565–1581 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2441-7

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