Zooxanthellate cnidarians are trophically complex, relying on both autotrophy and heterotrophy. Although several aspects of heterotrophy have been studied in these organisms, information linking prey capture with digestion is still missing. We used prey-specific PCR-based tools to assess feeding and prey digestion of two zooxanthellate cnidarians - the tropical sea anemone Aiptasia sp. and the scleractinian coral Oculina arbuscula. Prey DNA disappeared rapidly for the initial one to three days, whereas complete digestion of prey DNA required up to ten days in O. arbuscula and five or size days in Aiptasia sp. depending on prey species. These digestion times are considerably longer than previously reported from microscopy-based examination of zooxanthellate cnidarians and prey DNA breakdown in other marine invertebrates, but similar to prey DNA breakdown reported from terrestrial invertebrates such as heteroptera and spiders. Deprivation of external prey induced increased digestion rates during the first days after feeding in O. arbuscula, but after six days of digestion there were no differences in the remaining prey levels in fed and unfed corals. This study indicates that prey digestion by symbiotic corals may be slower than previously reported and varies with the type of prey, the cnidarian species and it’s feeding history. These observations have important implications for bioenergetic and trophodynamic studies on zooxanthellate cnidarians.
Artemia prey DNA breakdown ingested by Aiptasia sp.
Prey DNA breakdown based on the amplification of different sizes of DNA fragments of Artemia sp. ingested by Aiptasia sp. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 days after feeding.
Aiptasia_Artemia_DNAbreakdown.xlsx
Brachionus plicatilis prey DNA breakdown ingested by Aiptasia sp.
Prey DNA breakdown based on the amplification of different sizes of DNA fragments of Brachionus plicatilis ingested by Aiptasia sp. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 days after feeding.
Aiptasia_Bplicatilis_DNAbreakdown.xlsx
Artemia prey DNA breakdown ingested by Oculina arbuscula
Prey DNA breakdown based on the amplification of different sizes of DNA fragments of Artemia sp. ingested by Oculina arbuscula 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days after feeding.
Oarbuscula_Artemia_DNAbreakdown.xlsx
Brachionus plicatilis prey DNA breakdown ingested by Oculina arbuscula
Prey DNA breakdown based on the amplification of different sizes of DNA fragments of Brachionus plicatilis ingested by Oculina arbuscula 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days after feeding
Oarbuscula_Bplicatilis_DNAbreakdown.xlsx
Digestion time of Aiptasia sp. fed Artemia sp. based on the prey DNA content estimated by qPCR
Concentration of Artemia sp. prey DNA ingested by Aiptasia sp. after 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 days. Prey DNA concentration is shown for different amplicon sizes amplified with different primer sets.
Aiptasia_Artemia_PreyDigestion.xlsx
Digestion time of Aiptasia sp. fed Brachionus plicatilis based on the prey DNA content estimated by qPCR
Concentration of Brachionus plicatilis prey DNA ingested by Aiptasia sp. after 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 days. Prey DNA concentration is shown for different amplicon sizes amplified with different primer sets.
Aiptasia_Bplicatilis_PreyDigestion.xlsx
Digestion time of Oculina arbuscula fed Artemia sp. based on the prey DNA content estimated by qPCR
Concentration of Artemia sp. prey DNA ingested by Oculina arbuscula after 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days. Prey DNA concentration is shown for different amplicon sizes amplified with different primer sets.
Oarbuscula_Artemia_PreyDigestion.xlsx
Digestion time of Oculina arbuscula fed Brachionus plicatilis based on the prey DNA content estimated by qPCR
Concentration of Brachionus plicatilis prey DNA ingested by Oculina arbuscula after 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days. Prey DNA concentration is shown for different amplicon sizes amplified with different primer sets.
Oarbuscula_Bplicatilis_PreyDigestion.xlsx