Sachiko Nagasawa

Feeding of a pelagic chaetognath,Sagitta nagae Alvariño in Suruga Bay, Central Japan

The feeding ofSagitta nagae, the most predominant chaetognath species in Suruga Bay, was studied. Specimens were collected with ORI-100 net (1.0 mm in mesh aperture) and MTD net (0.35 mm in mesh aperture) and were fixed with neutralized formalin. The main food organisms ofSagitta nagae were the copepods,Candacia bipinnata, Calanus pacificus andPareuchaeta russelli. The food-containing ratio (P/T, %) was higher at night and lower in the daytime. Here, P is the number ofSagitta containing food organisms in the gut and T is the total number ofSagitta examined. P/T was almost constant vertically in the upper 100 m layer. P/T was generally influenced neither by food density nor by the copepod numbers perSagitta in this study.Sagitta nagae took food throughout life. Food ingested bySagitta per day was calculated as 37.6% ofSagitta in dry weight.

Scanning electron microscopy investigation of bacterial colonization of the marine copepod Acartia clausi

Association between copepods and bacteria was observed in many scanning electron micrographs. Particular sites on the copepods were selectively colonized by bacteria; the joints of segments and legs, swimming legs and depressed parts of the body surface were found to be densely covered with bacteria. In comparison, bacterial attachment to copepod skeletons in fecal pellets excreted by chaetognaths was not selective; bacteria were sparsely found all over the copepod. Between 9 to 30% of copepods in Tokyo Bay waters had attached bacteria in January and April 1983.

The digestive efficiency of the chaetognath Sagittacrassa Tokioka, with observations on the feeding process

Abstract The chaetognath Sagitta crassa Tokioka, which is abundant in Tokyo Bay, may seize and ingest several copepods within the space of a few minutes under laboratory and natural conditions. This chaetognath consumed about a third of its daily ration within 2 h after receiving a supply of food. After partial ingestion of a copepod, S. crassa occasionally relinquished its prey, which was immobile and appeared to be paralyzed. Large numbers of bacteria were found on the exoskeleton of a released copepod, instead of the expected holes from piercing by chaetognath teeth. S. crassa had a mean digestion time of 2.2 and 2.8 h for Acartia clausi Giesbrecht and Tigriopus japonicus Mori, respectively. The digestive efficiency of Sagitta crassa was determined gravimetrically and it ranged from 56 to 93%, depending on the food items, with a mean of 83%.

Laboratory feeding and egg production in the chaetognath Sagitta crassa Tokioka

Abstract Egg production, daily ration, and growth efficiency in Sagitta crassa Tokioka are described along with the morphological characteristics of the ovary and body during laboratory observations. Feeding by S . crassa in small containers containing 50 or 100 ml sea water and feeding rates bore a linear relationship to food concentration from 5 to 20 copepods per 100 ml. Among 100 animals individually isolated in containers, 3 animals were the longest lived and the best egg producers. One of these produced eggs on more than 30 consecutive days, producing almost 1000 eggs. Egg production showed periodic change at intervals from 7 to 10 days. Seminal vesicles also became periodically filled or empty. Fluctuations in ovary length and morphological changes of ovary and body were observed through life. Daily ration of S. crassa ranged from 8.7 to 10.4 prey per day or ≈ 60 μg in dry wt. The specific daily ration ranged from 0.347 to 0.568. S. crassa had a growth efficiency (dry-wt basis) which increased during the early life of the animal (≈28%), then decreased with age (22 → nearly 0%). Reproductive efficiency ranged from 7.0 to 16.4%, with a mean of 12.5%.

Further studies on the feeding habits ofSagitta nagaealvariño in Suruga Bay, central Japan

The feeding ofSagitta nagae was analyzed in connection with food chains in the pelagic and near-bottom communities of Suruga Bay. The following results are obtained: (1)S. nagae feeds on dominant copepod species both in the free water (upper water layers) and the near-bottom habitats; (2)S. nagae did not show any food-size selection in the range of 0.2 to 1.2 mm in cephalothorax width and height of copepods; (3) Feeding activity ofS. nagae in the free water is highest at night, while in the near-bottom habitat the species feeds more actively during the day than at night; and (4)S. nagae migrates between the bottom and free water and plays an important role in shallow water by connecting the near-bottom community with the pelagic community.

The copepod Centropages abdominalis as a carrier of the stalked ciliate Zoothamnium

Adult specimens of the calanoid copepod Centropages abdominalis collected from February through April 1986 in Shinhamako, a saline lake connected to Tokyo Bay, were heavily infested with the stalked ciliate Zoothamnium. The number of copepods and those infested varied during the infestation period; in February when the copepod population was large, the incidence of infestation was low, whereas in March when the copepod population was small, copepods infested with Zoothamnium were proportionally more abundant. Numerical variations of infested copepods may correspond to changes in the Zoothamnium population. No specimens of Acartia omorii, which coexists with C. abdominalis, were infested in 1986, although a small number of A. omorii were infested with peritrich ciliates in 1985. Some shrimp larvae were also covered with the same peritrichs as copepods. Nevertheless, as a whole, the relationship between the phoront and its carrier seems to be specific. The highest incidence of infested copepods was approximately 30% similar to that in 1985. The sex ratio of C. abdominalis changed on each sampling date but in general females were more numerous than males. The percentage of infested males was higher than that of infested females, suggesting that the former can be attached to more easily than the latter.

Pelagic chaetognaths in Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay, Central Japan

Pelagic chaetognaths in Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay, Central Japan, were studied. Their community structure was very similar in both of these bays. Four genera and 26 species were identified. In Sagami Bay the habitat segregation by depths was clearly obtained. The population and species number of epipelagic (0–200 m) chaetognaths were larger in summer than in winter. The populations of meso- (200–500 m) and bathypelagic (500–1,000 m) species were smaller than that of epipelagic ones and fairly stable seasonally.

Redescription of Vorticella oceanica Zacharias, 1906 (Ciliophora: Peritrichia) with notes on its host, the marine planktonic diatom Chaetoceros coarctatum Lauder,1864

Species of the marine planktonic diatom Chaetoceros were collected over a three year period from Otsuchi Bay, Japan. The vertical distribution of Chaetoceros spp. over a 40 m depth was investigated. One species, C. coarctatum, was found to have chloroplasts of two different shapes. Chaetoceros coarctatum was also the only species found in association with the ciliate epibiont Vorticella oceanica. The numerical abundance of V. oceanica was closely correlated to that of its host at certain depths. Potential food sources for V. oceanica in Otsuchi Bay were identified. Vorticella oceanica is redescribed following examination by light and scanning electron microscopy.

Ecological aspects of deformed chaetognaths and visual observations of their periphytes

Preserved samples of chaetognaths (Sagitta crassa) in Tokyo Bay contained normal specimens and knotty and flabby deformed ones. On the body surfaces of both normal and deformed specimens, three different types of periphyte were observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM): branch-like growths, large numbers of filaments and protuberances. Some branch-like growths frequently covered almost the entire body of even normal chaetognaths. Bacteria were only observed on the abnormal specimens. Bacterial colonization occurred inside the body rather than on the body surface. Due to the growth of bacteria, muscles degenerated and chaetognaths became abnormally knotty and flabby. Abnormal chaetognaths occurred in Tokyo Bay more frequently in July 1979 (12.4%) than in June 1982 (3.9%). Food containing ratio (FCR) values, an indication of feeding activity, of the abnormal chaetognaths were less than 10% and no feeding rhythm was found, whereas normal chaetognaths had high FCR values with a maximum peak (more than 60%) between 20.000 and 23.000 hrs. Abnormal specimens sometimes had spermatophores on their body surfaces. It is obvious that abnormal chaetognaths had still been alive in the sea and that some of them not only fed on copepods but also copulated. However, feeding activity and reproductive behaviour were far lower in abnormal chaetognaths than in normal ones. Abnormal specimens were not larger than 9.0 mm and their mean body length was smaller than that of normal chaetognaths. This suggests that bacterial infection directly affects the mortality of the chaetognath population.

Bacterial invasion of chaetognaths under laboratory and natural conditions

Chaetognaths are an abundant component of the plankton and are usually the most important carnivores. Head or tail damage is often found in chaetognath specimens from the laboratory and the sea. Examination by light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of specimens with such damage has revealed that bacterial invasion occurs in chaetognaths under laboratory and natural conditions. Living chaetognaths which cease feeding are found to have large numbers of attached bacteria and some parts of their body become opaque. Once they are attacked in this manner the body appears to be a mass of bacteria. Examination of field samples has shown that similar bacterial attacks occur in the sea. Bacterial growth is common inside the muscle tissue of field specimens. Up to 13.3% of two dominant species of chaetognaths in Suruga Bay are attacked by bacteria.