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Adaptation of Marine Animals to Extreme Environments
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Adaptation of Marine Animals to Extreme Environments

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 February 2023) | Viewed by 21540

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Taewon Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Marine Zoology Lab., Department of Ocean Sciences, Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
2. Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
Interests: antarctica; amphipods; anthropogenic stressors; barnacles; behavioral ecology; biomimetics; crab; deep sea; exoskeleton; hydrothermal vent; marine invertebrates; physiological adaptation; vibroacoustics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine animals have evolved in extreme environments such as polar regions, the deep sea, and hydrothermal vents by modifying their morphology, physiology, and behavior based on their genetic makeup. Though they are extraordinarily interesting and should be extensively explored, e.g., searching for creatures on Mars, our efforts to do just that have been hampered by the limited accessibility inherent in such locations. Even marine animals in the “boundary” zone (e.g., temperate, oxygen minimum) show a surprising acclimation ability to extreme weather events or unexpected changes to the environment. We can learn pivotal lessons from how these animals adapt to extreme environments and can even apply their mechanisms, functions, or biomaterials to future technology advancements. This Special Issue is open to scientists and engineers in any field who study the adaptation of marine animals to extreme environments and want to bring new insights and stimulate interactions between experts from diverse disciplines.

Dr. Taewon Kim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Antarctica
  • Biomaterials
  • Deep sea species
  • Extremophiles
  • Genetic diversity
  • Hydrothermal vents
  • Hypoxia
  • Lethal limit
  • Polar regions
  • Speciation

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2094 KiB  
Article
Evidence of the Intrusion of the Oceanic Lightfish (Vinciguerria nimbaria) into Korean Waters Based on High-Throughput Sequencing of Mixed Fish Eggs
by Sung Kim, Byung-sun Chin and Soon-young Wang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(2), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11020257 - 21 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1620
Abstract
The oceanic lightfish Vinciguerria nimbaria is a mesopelagic species found in tropical and subtropical waters. In this study, we collected a total of 266 mixed fish egg samples from 78 stations in Korean waters of the Northwest Pacific Ocean from January to November [...] Read more.
The oceanic lightfish Vinciguerria nimbaria is a mesopelagic species found in tropical and subtropical waters. In this study, we collected a total of 266 mixed fish egg samples from 78 stations in Korean waters of the Northwest Pacific Ocean from January to November 2021, and analysed these samples for V. nimbaria using cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) metabarcoding. We detected V. nimbaria eggs five times in May and once in August, with 20 V. nimbaria eggs to be estimated among the 266 mixed samples, which consisted of 68,844 eggs. To verify the accuracy of the metabarcoding results, two samples consisting of 1 and 6 eggs (diameter, 0.82 ± 0.07 mm; n = 5), respectively, that were identified as V. nimbaria were reanalysed using partial COI regions with the Sanger sequencing method. COI sequences obtained using both sequencing methods showed 100% identity in the overlapping regions. The mixed eggs formed one clade with V. nimbaria (average pairwise genetic distance, 0.002 ± 0.003; n = 7) in a phylogenetic ML tree based on the mitogenome (2 rRNAs and 13 protein-coding genes) of order Stomiiformes, including partial COIs from the mixed egg samples. The pairwise genetic distances in this clade were smaller than that of Stomiiformes (0.468 ± 0.081), except for V. nimbaria. These eggs represent direct evidence of the intrusion or distribution of adult V. nimbaria, an unrecorded species, in Korean waters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Marine Animals to Extreme Environments)
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13 pages, 5101 KiB  
Article
Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis of Chitin Synthase Genes from the Deep-Sea Polychaete Branchipolynoe onnuriensis Genome
by Hyeongwoo Choi, Sang Lyeol Kim, Man-Ki Jeong, Ok Hwan Yu and Seongil Eyun
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(5), 598; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10050598 - 28 Apr 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2363
Abstract
Chitin, one of the most abundant biopolymers in nature, is a crucial material that provides sufficient rigidity to the exoskeleton. In addition, chitin is a valuable substance in both the medical and industrial fields. The synthesis of chitin is catalyzed by chitin synthase [...] Read more.
Chitin, one of the most abundant biopolymers in nature, is a crucial material that provides sufficient rigidity to the exoskeleton. In addition, chitin is a valuable substance in both the medical and industrial fields. The synthesis of chitin is catalyzed by chitin synthase (CHS) enzymes. Although the chitin synthesis pathway is highly conserved from fungi to invertebrates, CHSs have mostly only been investigated in insects and crustaceans. Especially, little is known about annelids from hydrothermal vents. To understand chitin synthesis from the evolutionary view in a deep-sea environment, we first generated the whole-genome sequencing of the parasitic polychaete Branchipolynoe onnuriensis. We identified seven putative CHS genes (BonCHS1-BonCHS7) by domain searches and phylogenetic analyses. This study showed that most crustaceans have only a single copy or two gene copies, whereas at least two independent gene duplication events occur in B. onnuriensis. This is the first study of CHS obtained from a parasitic species inhabiting a hydrothermal vent and will provide insight into various organisms’ adaptation to the deep-sea hosts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Marine Animals to Extreme Environments)
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10 pages, 2828 KiB  
Article
The Symbiotic Relationship between the Antarctic Limpet, Nacella concinna, and Epibiont Coralline Algae
by Boongho Cho, Hyeonmi Bae and Taewon Kim
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(4), 496; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10040496 - 02 Apr 2022
Viewed by 3070
Abstract
The Antarctic limpet, Nacella concinna, is one of the most abundant benthic marine invertebrates found in the intertidal zone of King George Island, Antarctica. The shell of N. concinna is often encrusted with the coralline algae Clathromorphum obtectulum. In this study, to [...] Read more.
The Antarctic limpet, Nacella concinna, is one of the most abundant benthic marine invertebrates found in the intertidal zone of King George Island, Antarctica. The shell of N. concinna is often encrusted with the coralline algae Clathromorphum obtectulum. In this study, to reveal the relationship between the limpet and coralline algae, we examined how the coralline algae affect the physical condition (survival and health) and morphology of the limpet. We cultured the limpets for 22 days and compared mortality, weight, condition factor (CF), fatty acid content, and the structure of the shell surface between limpets both with and without coralline algae in the laboratory. We also measured the environmental factors (i.e., temperature, pH, and salinity) of the seawater at each sampling site and the CF of the limpets and correlated them with coverage of coralline algae. The presence of coralline algae significantly increased the mortality of the limpets by 40% and the shell weight by 1.4-fold but did not affect the CF. Additionally, coralline algae altered the fatty acid profiles related to the limpet’s lipid metabolism (saturated fatty acids (SFA) and some polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)). Specifically, C16:0, C17:0, C18:0, and total SFA increased, whereas C18:2 and C18:3 decreased. However, observations with a scanning electron microscope showed that shell damage in limpets with coralline algae was much less than in limpets without coralline algae, suggesting that coralline algae may provide protection against endolithic algae. The area of coralline algae on the limpet shell was positively correlated with the pH and temperature of the seawater. The results suggest that although coralline algae are generally assumed to be parasitical, the relationship between N. concinna and coralline algae may change to mutualism under certain conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Marine Animals to Extreme Environments)
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13 pages, 2335 KiB  
Article
Trimethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO) and Trimethylamine (TMA) Determinations of Two Hadal Amphipods
by Qi Liu, Shouwen Jiang, Wenhao Li, Binbin Pan and Qianghua Xu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(4), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10040454 - 23 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2713
Abstract
Hadal trenches are a unique habitat with high hydrostatic pressure, low temperature and scarce food supplies. Amphipods are the dominant scavenging metazoan species in this ecosystem. Trimethylamine (TMA) and trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) have been shown to play important roles in regulating osmotic pressure [...] Read more.
Hadal trenches are a unique habitat with high hydrostatic pressure, low temperature and scarce food supplies. Amphipods are the dominant scavenging metazoan species in this ecosystem. Trimethylamine (TMA) and trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) have been shown to play important roles in regulating osmotic pressure in mammals, hadal dwellers and even microbes. However, the distributions of TMAO and TMA concentrations of hadal animals among different tissues have not been reported so far. Here, the TMAO and TMA contents of eight tissues of two hadal amphipods, Hirondellea gigas and Alicella gigantea from the Mariana Trench and the New Britain Trench, were detected by using the ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method. Compared with the shallow water Decapoda, Penaeus vannamei, the hadal amphipods possessed significantly higher TMAO concentrations and a similar level of TMA in all the detected tissues. A higher level of TMAO was detected in the external organs (such as the eye and exoskeleton) for both of the two hadal amphipods, which indicated that the TMAO concentration was not evenly distributed, although the same hydrostatic pressure existed in the outer and internal organs. Moreover, a strong positive correlation was found between the concentrations of TMAO and TMA in the two hadal amphipods. In addition, evolutionary analysis regarding FMO3, the enzyme to convert TMA into TMAO, was also conducted. Three positive selected sites in the conserved region and two specific mutation sites in two conserved motifs were found in the A. gigantea FMO3 gene. Combined together, this study supports the important role of TMAO for the environmental adaptability of hadal amphipods and speculates on the molecular evolution and protein structure of FMO3 in hadal species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Marine Animals to Extreme Environments)
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11 pages, 2602 KiB  
Article
New Record of Hydrothermal Vent Squat Lobster (Munidopsis lauensis) Provides Evidence of a Dispersal Corridor between the Pacific and Indian Oceans
by Hee-seung Hwang, Boongho Cho, Jaemin Cho, Beomseok Park and Taewon Kim
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(3), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10030400 - 10 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3943
Abstract
Hydrothermal vents are chemosynthetically driven ecosystems and one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Vent communities exhibit remarkable taxonomic novelty at the species and supra-species levels, and over 80% of vent species are endemic. Here, we used mitochondrial DNA to identify the [...] Read more.
Hydrothermal vents are chemosynthetically driven ecosystems and one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Vent communities exhibit remarkable taxonomic novelty at the species and supra-species levels, and over 80% of vent species are endemic. Here, we used mitochondrial DNA to identify the biogeographic distribution of Munidopsis lauensis and the heme-binding regions of A1-type COX1 from six species (including M. lauensis) to investigate whether genetic variation in the protein structure affects oxygen-binding ability. We verified the identity of Indian Ocean specimens by comparing sequences from the barcoding gene mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) with known M. lauensis sequences from the NCBI database. The data show that these are the first recorded specimens of M. lauensis in the Indian Ocean; previously, this species had been reported only in the southwest Pacific. Our findings support the hypothesis that vent fauna in the Pacific and Indian Oceans can interact via active ridges. In the case of the mitochondrial DNA-binding site, the arrangement of heme-binding ligands and type A1 motif of M. lauensis was identical to that in other species. Moreover, our findings suggest that the mechanism of oxygen binding is well conserved among species from terrestrial organisms to hydrothermal extremophiles. Overall, dispersal of the same species to geologically separated hydrothermal vents and conserved heme-binding regions in mitochondrial proteins suggest that hydrothermal species might have evolved from shallow sea organisms and became distributed geographically using a dispersion corridor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Marine Animals to Extreme Environments)
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14 pages, 2352 KiB  
Article
Holoplanktonic and Meroplanktonic Larvae in the Surface Waters of the Onnuri Vent Field in the Central Indian Ridge
by Minju Kim, Jung-Hoon Kang and Dongsung Kim
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(2), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10020158 - 26 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2600
Abstract
The dispersal of organisms in an isolated environment of a hydrothermal vent remains unclear. Here, we provide direct evidence that meroplanktonic larvae may migrate thousands of meters above the ocean floor. The morphological quantitative measurements of mesozooplankton were conducted in the Onnuri Vent [...] Read more.
The dispersal of organisms in an isolated environment of a hydrothermal vent remains unclear. Here, we provide direct evidence that meroplanktonic larvae may migrate thousands of meters above the ocean floor. The morphological quantitative measurements of mesozooplankton were conducted in the Onnuri Vent Field (OVF), the Solitaire Fields (SF), and the reference site (ref-site). Only one species of bivalve larva that appeared at the OVF and the ref-site (0–200 m) was similar to Bathymodiolus spp. Sixteen species of gastropod larvae were distinguished, among which, species 1–4, 6, and 13 had holoplanktonic features (Atlanta, Oxygrus, and Limacina), whereas species 5, 7–12, and 14–16 had meroplanktonic features. Species 5, 11, and 12 appeared only at the OVF, 9 and 10 appeared only in the SF, 14–16 appeared only at the ref-site, and species 7 and 8 appeared in all surveyed stations. The species 5, 8, 12, 14, and 15 have morphological features similar to Vetulonia spp., and species 7 was similar to Lepetodrilidae; species 9–11 and 16 were similar to Phymorphynchus protoconchs. The morphologically distinguished mollusk larvae in the upper layers of the water column (0–200 m) indicate that larvae associated with deep-sea hydrothermal vents may disperse approximately 2000 m above the vents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Marine Animals to Extreme Environments)
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20 pages, 3248 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Dietary Shifts of the Gammarid Amphipod Gondogeneia antarctica in a Rapidly Warming Fjord of the West Antarctic Peninsula
by In-Young Ahn, Francyne Elias-Piera, Sun-Yong Ha, Sergio Rossi and Dong-U Kim
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2021, 9(12), 1447; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9121447 - 17 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2602
Abstract
The amphipod Gondogeneia antarctica is among the most abundant benthic organisms, and a key food web species along the rapidly warming West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). However, little is known about its trophic strategy for dealing with the extreme seasonality of Antarctic marine primary [...] Read more.
The amphipod Gondogeneia antarctica is among the most abundant benthic organisms, and a key food web species along the rapidly warming West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). However, little is known about its trophic strategy for dealing with the extreme seasonality of Antarctic marine primary production. This study, using trophic markers, for the first time investigated seasonal dietary shifts of G. antarctica in a WAP fjord. We analyzed δ13C and δ15N in G. antarctica and its potential food sources. The isotopic signatures revealed a substantial contribution of red algae to the amphipod diet and also indicated a significant contribution of benthic diatoms. The isotope results were further supported by fatty acid (FA) analysis, which showed high similarities in FA composition (64% spring–summer, 58% fall–winter) between G. antarctica and the red algal species. G. antarctica δ13C showed a small shift seasonally (−18.9 to −21.4‰), suggesting that the main diets do not change much year-round. However, the relatively high δ15N values as for primary consumers indicated additional dietary sources such as animal parts. Interestingly, G. antarctica and its potential food sources were significantly enriched with δ15N during the fall–winter season, presumably through a degradation process, suggesting that G. antarctica consumes a substantial portion of its diets in the form of detritus. Overall, the results revealed that G. antarctica relies primarily on food sources derived from benthic primary producers throughout much of the year. Thus, G. antarctica is unlikely very affected by seasonal Antarctic primary production, and this strategy seems to have allowed them to adapt to shallow Antarctic nearshore waters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Marine Animals to Extreme Environments)
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