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<p>In Arctic fjord sediments, free-living nematodes and harpacticoid copepods serve as mobile substrates for diverse communities of sessile ciliate epibionts. In this study we investigated epibiotic associations between <i>Desmoscolex</i><i>, </i><i>Tricoma</i><i>, </i><i>Halectinosoma</i>, and sessile ciliates in the subclasses Suctoria and Peritrichia in Kongsfjorden, Krossfjorden and Open Ocean area (Svalbard), Arctic fjords. Benthic samples were collected and processed through size‐fractionation and flotation, and organisms were identified morphologically under compound and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, environmental parameters (TOC, grain size, sediment chlorophyll <i>a</i>) were measured to assess habitat influences. We recorded 16 ciliate epibionts, including six suctorian genera (<i>Acineta</i>, <i>Ephelota</i>, <i>Loricophrya</i>, <i>Trematosoma</i>, <i>Thecacineta</i>, <i>Pseudohimantidium</i>) and two peritrich genera (<i>Opercularia</i>, <i>Epistylis</i>), attached predominantly to caudal and intersegmental regions of nematodes and harpacticoids. Individual basibionts hosted on an average 2–3 epibiont species, reflecting facultative colonization driven by limited hard substrata and hydrodynamic stress in fine-grained, glacial‐influenced sediments. Morphological adaptations—transparent loricae, apical clavate tentacles, contractile versus rigid stalks—may enhance attachment strength and feeding efficiency on mobile hosts. The recurrent occurrence of certain ciliate–host association indicates non-random attachment patterns, potentially influenced by host cuticular microstructures. These findings expand our understanding of the distribution, ecological diversity and host range of ciliate epibionts in polar benthic ecosystems. Our study provides a foundation for future investigations into potential host specificity, co-evolutionary relationships, and the ecological role of epibiosis in polar benthic ecosystems.</p>

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Epibiotic assemblages of suctoria and peritrichia on nematodes and harpacticoids from Arctic fjords

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月1日

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  • Soumya Subhra Baishnab,
  • Sumit Mandal

摘要

In Arctic fjord sediments, free-living nematodes and harpacticoid copepods serve as mobile substrates for diverse communities of sessile ciliate epibionts. In this study we investigated epibiotic associations between Desmoscolex, Tricoma, Halectinosoma, and sessile ciliates in the subclasses Suctoria and Peritrichia in Kongsfjorden, Krossfjorden and Open Ocean area (Svalbard), Arctic fjords. Benthic samples were collected and processed through size‐fractionation and flotation, and organisms were identified morphologically under compound and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, environmental parameters (TOC, grain size, sediment chlorophyll a) were measured to assess habitat influences. We recorded 16 ciliate epibionts, including six suctorian genera (Acineta, Ephelota, Loricophrya, Trematosoma, Thecacineta, Pseudohimantidium) and two peritrich genera (Opercularia, Epistylis), attached predominantly to caudal and intersegmental regions of nematodes and harpacticoids. Individual basibionts hosted on an average 2–3 epibiont species, reflecting facultative colonization driven by limited hard substrata and hydrodynamic stress in fine-grained, glacial‐influenced sediments. Morphological adaptations—transparent loricae, apical clavate tentacles, contractile versus rigid stalks—may enhance attachment strength and feeding efficiency on mobile hosts. The recurrent occurrence of certain ciliate–host association indicates non-random attachment patterns, potentially influenced by host cuticular microstructures. These findings expand our understanding of the distribution, ecological diversity and host range of ciliate epibionts in polar benthic ecosystems. Our study provides a foundation for future investigations into potential host specificity, co-evolutionary relationships, and the ecological role of epibiosis in polar benthic ecosystems.