Home Life Sciences The diet and feeding rates of gastropod grazers in Singapore’s seagrass meadows
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

The diet and feeding rates of gastropod grazers in Singapore’s seagrass meadows

  • Jia Min Fong

    Jia Min Fong received her BSc degree in Life Sciences from the National University of Singapore in 2016. She specialised in environmental biology and pursued her interest to study the marine environment, with focus on the associated fauna, at the Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory.

         , Samantha Lai

    Samantha Lai is a marine ecologist who has worked on a variety of tropical habitats including seagrass meadows, rocky shores and coral reefs. She is currently a PhD candidate at the National University of Singapore investigating the movement and connectivity of seagrasses through vegetative fragments.

         , Siti Maryam Yaakub

    Siti Maryam Yaakub is a marine ecologist with more than a decade of scientific experience working in the academic, government and private sectors. She is a marine biologist by training, with a broad understanding of marine ecosystems from mangroves to coral reefs, but specialises in seagrass ecosystems. Dr. Yaakub is a member of the World Seagrass Association and currently serves on the Steering Committee. She is currently the Co-Convenor and Chairperson of the Organising Committee of the next ISBW to be held in 2018 in Singapore.

         , Yan Xiang Ow

    Yan Xiang Ow works on understanding the interactions and feedbacks between marine benthic biota and their environment. She is currently a post-doctoral research fellow with the Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, examining the influences of tropical seagrass on their physical environment.

         and Peter A. Todd

    Peter A. Todd is an experimental marine ecologist who focusses on organism-environment interactions in tropical seas. He is fundamentally concerned with increasing understanding of the ecology and functioning of Southeast Asian tropical marine organisms and communities, including the impacts of urbanisation on coastal ecosystems. Dr. Todd is currently an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, where he runs the Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory.

     EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: May 1, 2018
Botanica Marina
From the journal Botanica Marina Volume 61 Issue 3

Abstract

A wide variety of organisms are known to graze on seagrasses and their associated epiphytes, and this plant-animal interaction can affect the health of seagrass meadows. Grazing patterns tend to vary across meadows and faunal groups, and little is known regarding how gastropod grazers influence meadows in the tropics. To better understand this interaction, we surveyed the gastropod diversity in five meadows in Singapore. Further, grazing potential (i.e. potential food sources and feeding rates) of common gastropod species was quantified through ex situ grazing experiments, while their diet compositions were elucidated using dual δ13C and δ15N stable isotope analyses. The surveys revealed a high diversity of 274 gastropod species/morphospecies while PERMANOVA and SIMPER analyses showed that communities differed significantly among sites but not among seagrass species. Diet composition analysis indicated that seagrass leaves were the main food source for most gastropod species examined while epiphytes were important for microsnail (shell size <5 mm) species. However, all the gastropod species tested fed on epiphytes in the ex situ experiments. These findings contribute new insights into grazing by marine gastropods on tropical seagrass meadows, and highlight the potential importance of both direct grazing and epiphyte removal on tropical meadows.

Keywords: epiphyte; herbivory; snail; stable isotope; tropical

About the authors

Jia Min Fong

Jia Min Fong received her BSc degree in Life Sciences from the National University of Singapore in 2016. She specialised in environmental biology and pursued her interest to study the marine environment, with focus on the associated fauna, at the Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory.

Samantha Lai

Samantha Lai is a marine ecologist who has worked on a variety of tropical habitats including seagrass meadows, rocky shores and coral reefs. She is currently a PhD candidate at the National University of Singapore investigating the movement and connectivity of seagrasses through vegetative fragments.

Siti Maryam Yaakub

Siti Maryam Yaakub is a marine ecologist with more than a decade of scientific experience working in the academic, government and private sectors. She is a marine biologist by training, with a broad understanding of marine ecosystems from mangroves to coral reefs, but specialises in seagrass ecosystems. Dr. Yaakub is a member of the World Seagrass Association and currently serves on the Steering Committee. She is currently the Co-Convenor and Chairperson of the Organising Committee of the next ISBW to be held in 2018 in Singapore.

Yan Xiang Ow

Yan Xiang Ow works on understanding the interactions and feedbacks between marine benthic biota and their environment. She is currently a post-doctoral research fellow with the Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, examining the influences of tropical seagrass on their physical environment.

Peter A. Todd

Peter A. Todd is an experimental marine ecologist who focusses on organism-environment interactions in tropical seas. He is fundamentally concerned with increasing understanding of the ecology and functioning of Southeast Asian tropical marine organisms and communities, including the impacts of urbanisation on coastal ecosystems. Dr. Todd is currently an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, where he runs the Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory.

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by NParks CME grant no. R-154-000-670-490, and samples were collected under permit no. NP/RP15-069 from the National Parks Board, Funder ID: 10.13039/501100001466. We would like to thank Dr. Ng Ngan Kee, and the staff and students at the Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, National University of Singapore, for their support in the field and in the laboratory. We are also grateful to Mr. Tan Siong Kiat at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum for his expertise regarding the identification of the gastropod specimens collected, and volunteers from TeamSeaGrass and other field helpers for their assistance in sample collection and laboratory work. Images used to create the graphical abstract are attributed to Catherine Collier and Tracey Saxby, Integration and Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (ian.umces.edu/imagelibrary/).

References

Attrill, M.J., J.A. Strong and A.A. Rowden. 2000. Are macroinvertebrate communities influenced by seagrass structural complexity? Ecography. 23: 114–121.10.1111/j.1600-0587.2000.tb00266.xSearch in Google Scholar

Bendell, B.E. 2006. Interactions amongst invertebrates, epiphytes, and seagrasses in tropical intertidal meadows. PhD thesis. James Cook University, Australia. pp. 231.Search in Google Scholar

Benstead, J.P., J.G. March, B. Fry, K.C. Ewel and C.M. Pringle. 2006. Testing Isosource: Stable Isotope Analysis of a Tropical Fishery with Diverse Organic Matter Sources. Ecology. 87: 326–333.10.1890/05-0721Search in Google Scholar

Bologna, P.A.X. and K.L. Heck Jr. 1999. Macrofaunal associations with seagrass epiphytes: relative importance of trophic and structural characteristics. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 242: 21–39.10.1016/S0022-0981(99)00092-1Search in Google Scholar

Castel, J., P.J. Labourg, V. Escaravage, I. Auby and M.E. Garcia. 1989. Influence of seagrass beds and oyster parks on the abundance and biomass patterns of meio- and macrobenthos in tidal flats. Estuar. Coast. Shelf. S. 28: 71–85.10.1016/0272-7714(89)90042-5Search in Google Scholar

Cebrián, J. and C.M. Duarte. 1998. Patterns in leaf herbivory on seagrasses. Aquat. Bot. 60: 67–82.10.1016/S0304-3770(97)00070-3Search in Google Scholar

Clarke, K.R. 1993. Non-parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure. Austral. Ecol. 18: 117–143.10.1111/j.1442-9993.1993.tb00438.xSearch in Google Scholar

Duarte, C.M. 1995. Submerged aquatic vegetation in relation to different nutrient regimes. Ophelia. 41: 87–112.10.1080/00785236.1995.10422039Search in Google Scholar

France, R.L. and R.H. Peters. 1997. Ecosystem differences in the trophic enrichment of 13C in aquatic food webs. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 54: 1255–1258.10.1139/f97-044Search in Google Scholar

Haase, P., S. Lohse, S. Pauls, K. Schindehütte, A. Sundermann, P. Rolauffs and D. Hering. 2004. Assessing streams in Germany with benthic invertebrates: development of a practical standardised protocol for macroinvertebrate sampling and sorting. Limnologica. 34: 349–365.10.1016/S0075-9511(04)80005-7Search in Google Scholar

Hanelt, D. and M.Y. Roleda. 2009. UVB radiation may ameliorate photoinhibition in specific shallow-water tropical marine macrophytes. Aquat. Bot. 91: 6–12.10.1016/j.aquabot.2008.12.005Search in Google Scholar

Harrison, P.G. 1982. Control of microbial growth and of amphipod grazing by water-soluble compounds from leaves of Zostera marina. Mar. Biol. 67: 225–230.10.1007/BF00401288Search in Google Scholar

Heck Jr, K.L. and J.F. Valentine. 2006. Plant–herbivore interactions in seagrass meadows. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 330: 420–436.10.1016/j.jembe.2005.12.044Search in Google Scholar

Hily, C., S. Connan, C. Raffin and S. Wyllie-Echeverria. 2004. In vitro experimental assessment of the grazing pressure of two gastropods on Zostera marina L. ephiphytic algae. Aquat. Bot. 78: 183–195.10.1016/j.aquabot.2003.10.001Search in Google Scholar

Hoeksama, B.W. 2007. Delineation of the Indo-Malayan centre of maximum marine biodiversity: the coral triangle. In: (W. Renema, ed) Biogeography, time, and place: distributions, barriers, and islands. Springer, The Netherlands. pp. 117–178.10.1007/978-1-4020-6374-9_5Search in Google Scholar

Holzer, K.K., J.L. Rueda and K.J. McGlathery. 2011. Differences in the Feeding Ecology of Two Seagrass-Associated Snails. Estuar. Coast. 34: 1140–1149.10.1007/s12237-011-9406-6Search in Google Scholar

Jacobs, R.P.W.M., P.M. Hermelink and G. Van Geel. 1983. Epiphytic algae on eelgrass at Roscoff, France. Aquat. Bot. 15: 157–173.10.1016/0304-3770(83)90026-8Search in Google Scholar

Jaschinski, S., D.C. Brepohl and U. Sommer. 2008. Carbon sources and trophic structure in an eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) bed based on stable isotope and fatty acid analyses. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 358: 103–114.10.3354/meps07327Search in Google Scholar

Jensen, K.R. 1983. Factors affecting feeding selectivity in herbivorous Ascoglossa (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia). J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 66: 135–148.10.1016/0022-0981(83)90035-7Search in Google Scholar

Jernakoff, P. and J. Nielsen. 1997. The relative importance of amphipod and gastropod grazers in Posidonia sinuosa meadows. Aquat. Bot. 56: 183–202.10.1016/S0304-3770(96)01112-6Search in Google Scholar

Kharlamenko, V., S. Kiyashko, A. Imbs and D. Vyshkvartzev. 2001. Identification of food sources of invertebrates from the seagrass Zostera marina community using carbon and sulfur stable isotope ratio and fatty acid analyses. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 220: 103–117.10.3354/meps220103Search in Google Scholar

Kitting, C.L., B. Fry and M.D. Morgan. 1984. Detection of inconspicuous epiphytic algae supporting food webs in seagrass meadows. Oecologia. 62: 145–149.10.1007/BF00379006Search in Google Scholar

Kwak, T.J. and J.B. Zedler. 1997. Food web analysis of southern California coastal wetlands using multiple stable isotopes. Oecologia. 110: 262–277.10.1007/s004420050159Search in Google Scholar

Leliaert, F., W. Vanreusel, O. de Clerck and E. Coppejans. 2001. Epiphytes of seagrasses of Zanzibar Island (Tanzania), floristic and ecological aspects. Belg. J. Bot. 134: 3–20.Search in Google Scholar

Lewis, F.G., III and A.W. Stoner. 1983. Distribution of macrofauna within seagrass beds: an explanation for patterns of abundance. B. Mar. Sci. 33: 296–304.Search in Google Scholar

Lobel, P. and J. Ogden. 1981. Foraging by the herbivorous parrotfish Sparisoma radians. Mar. Biol. 64: 173–183.10.1007/BF00397106Search in Google Scholar

Mariani, S. and T. Alcoverro. 1999. A multiple-choice feeding-preference experiment utilising seagrasses with a natural population of herbivorous fishes. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 189: 295–299.10.3354/meps189295Search in Google Scholar

Mateo, M.A., J. Cebrián, K. Dunton and T. Mutchler. 2006. Carbon flux in seagrass ecosystems. In: (A.W.D. Larkum, R.J. Orth and C.M. Duarte, eds) Seagrasses: biology, ecology and conservation. Springer, The Netherlands. pp. 159–192.Search in Google Scholar

Mazzella, L. and R.S. Alberte. 1986. Light adaptation and the role of autotrophic epiphytes in primary production of the temperate seagrass, Zostera marina L. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 100: 165–180.10.1016/0022-0981(86)90161-9Search in Google Scholar

Mazzella, L., M.C. Buia, M.C. Gambi, M. Lorenti, G. Russo, M.B. Scipione and V. Zupo. 1992. Plant-animal trophic relationships in the Posidonia oceanica ecosystem of the Mediterranean Sea: a review. In: (D.M. John, S.J. Hawkins and J.H. Price, eds) Plant-animal interactions in the marine benthos. Clarendon Press, Oxford. pp. 165–187.Search in Google Scholar

McKenzie, L.J., S.J. Campbell and C.A. Roder. 2003. Seagrass-Watch: Manual for mapping & monitoring seagrass resources by community (citizen) volunteers. 2nd Edition. QFS, NFC, Cairns. pp. 100.Search in Google Scholar

McKenzie, L.J., S.M. Yaakub, R. Tan, J. Seymour, R.L. Yoshida. 2016. Seagrass habitats of Singapore: environmental drivers and key processes. Raffles Bull. Z. Supplement. 34: 60–77.Search in Google Scholar

McMillan, C. 1984. The condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins) in seagrasses. Aquat. Bot. 20: 351–357.10.1016/0304-3770(84)90099-8Search in Google Scholar

Michel, L.N., P. Dauby, A. Dupont, S. Gobert and G. Lepoint. 2015. Selective top-down control of epiphytic biomass by amphipods from Posidonia oceanica meadows: implications for ecosystem functioning. Belg. J. Z. 145: 83–93.10.26496/bjz.2015.49Search in Google Scholar

Mukai, H. and A. Iijima. 1995. Grazing effects of a gammaridean Amphipoda, Ampithoe sp., on the seagrass, Syringodium isoetifolium, and epiphytes in a tropical seagrass bed of Fiji. Ecol. Res. 10: 243–257.10.1007/BF02347850Search in Google Scholar

Okutani, T. 2000. Marine Mollusks in Japan. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. pp. 1173.Search in Google Scholar

Ooi, J.L.S., G.A. Kendrick, K.P. Van Niel and Y.A. Affendi. 2011. Knowledge gaps in tropical Southeast Asian seagrass systems. Estuar. Coast. Shelf. S. 92: 118–131.10.1016/j.ecss.2010.12.021Search in Google Scholar

Penhale, P.A. and W.O. Smith. 1977. Excretion of dissolved organic carbon by eelgrass (Zostera marina) and its epiphytes. Limnol. Oceanogr. 22: 400–407.10.4319/lo.1977.22.3.0400Search in Google Scholar

Phillips, D.L. and J.W. Gregg. 2003. Source partitioning using stable isotopes: coping with too many sources. Oecologia. 136: 261–269.10.1007/s00442-003-1218-3Search in Google Scholar

Rodriguez, S.R., F.P. Ojeda and N.C. Inestrosa. 1993. Settlement of benthic marine invertebrates. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 97: 193–207.10.3354/meps097193Search in Google Scholar

Rueda, J.L., S. Gofas, J. Urra and C. Salas. 2009. A highly diverse molluscan assemblage associated with eelgrass beds (Zostera marina L.) in the Alboran Sea: Micro-habitat preference, feeding guilds and biogeographical distribution. Sci. Mar. 73: 679–700.10.3989/scimar.2009.73n4679Search in Google Scholar

Sand-Jensen, K. 1977. Effect of epiphytes on eelgrass photosynthesis. Aquat. Bot. 3: 55–63.10.1016/0304-3770(77)90004-3Search in Google Scholar

Schilthuizen, M., M.I.F. Teravainen, T.K. Faezamoltha, H. Ibrahim, M.C. Sim, P.C. Chong, L.J. Daim, A. Jubaidi, J. Madjapuni, M. Sabeki and A. Mokhtar. 2002. Microsnails at microscales in Borneo: distributions of Prosobranchia versus Pulmonata. J. Mollus. Stud. 68: 255–258.10.1093/mollus/68.3.255Search in Google Scholar

Short, F.T., T.J.B. Carruthers, W.C. Dennison and M. Waycott. 2007. Global seagrass distribution and diversity: a bioregional model. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.350: 3–20.10.1016/j.jembe.2007.06.012Search in Google Scholar

Stoner, A.W. 1980. The role of seagrass biomass in the organization of benthic macrofaunal assemblages. B. Mar. Sci. 30: 537–551.Search in Google Scholar

Valentine, J.F. and J.E. Duffy. 2006. The central role of grazing in seagrass ecology. In: (A.W.D. Larkum, R.J. Orth and C.M. Duarte, eds) Seagrasses: biology, ecology and conservation. Springer, The Netherlands. pp. 463–501.Search in Google Scholar

van Montfrans, J., R.L. Wetzel and R.J. Orth. 1984. Epiphyte-grazer relationships in seagrass meadows: consequences for seagrass growth and production. Estuaries. 7: 289–309.10.2307/1351615Search in Google Scholar

Vanderklift, M.A. and S. Ponsard. 2003. Sources of variation in consumer-diet δ15N enrichment: a meta-analysis. Oecologia. 136: 169–182.10.1007/s00442-003-1270-zSearch in Google Scholar

Virnstein, R.W. and R.K. Howard. 1987. Motile epifauna of marine macrophytes in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida. I. Comparisons among three species of seagrasses from adjacent beds. B. Mar. Sci. 41: 1–12.Search in Google Scholar

Vonk, J.A., M.J.A. Christianen and J. Stapel. 2008. Redefining the trophic importance of seagrasses for fauna in tropical Indo-Pacific meadows. Estuar. Coast. Shelf. S. 79: 653–660.10.1016/j.ecss.2008.06.002Search in Google Scholar

Yaakub, S.M., R.L. Lim, W. Lim and P.A. Todd. 2013. The diversity and distribution of seagrass in Singapore. Nature in Singapore. 6: 105–111.Search in Google Scholar

Zapata, O. and C. McMillan. 1979. Phenolic acids in seagrasses. Aquat. Bot. 7: 307–317.10.1016/0304-3770(79)90032-9Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2017-11-8
Accepted: 2018-3-27
Published Online: 2018-5-1
Published in Print: 2018-6-27

©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. In this issue
  3. Editorial
  4. Seagrass research in Southeast Asia
  5. Ecology
  6. The diet and feeding rates of gastropod grazers in Singapore’s seagrass meadows
  7. Complex yet fauna-deficient seagrass ecosystems at risk in southern Myanmar
  8. Species richness effects on the vegetative expansion of transplanted seagrass in Indonesia
  9. Spatial and temporal distribution of submerged aquatic vegetation in a tropical coastal lagoon habitat in Viet Nam
  10. Species diversity and distribution of seagrasses from the South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
  11. Genetics and physiology
  12. Population genetic subdivision of seagrasses, Syringodium isoetifolium and Thalassia hemprichii, in the Indonesian Archipelago
  13. Photosynthetic and antioxidant responses of the tropical intertidal seagrasses Halophila ovalis and Thalassia hemprichii to moderate and high irradiances
  14. Physiological responses of Enhalus acoroides to osmotic stress
  15. Management and applications
  16. Seagrass in Southeast Asia: a review of status and knowledge gaps, and a road map for conservation
  17. Decadal biomass and area changes in a multi-species meadow in Singapore: application of multi-resolution satellite imagery
  18. A proposed decision support tool for prioritising conservation planning of Southeast Asian seagrass meadows: combined approaches based on ecosystem services and vulnerability analyses
https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2017-0091
Keywords for this article
epiphyte; herbivory; snail; stable isotope; tropical

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. In this issue
  3. Editorial
  4. Seagrass research in Southeast Asia
  5. Ecology
  6. The diet and feeding rates of gastropod grazers in Singapore’s seagrass meadows
  7. Complex yet fauna-deficient seagrass ecosystems at risk in southern Myanmar
  8. Species richness effects on the vegetative expansion of transplanted seagrass in Indonesia
  9. Spatial and temporal distribution of submerged aquatic vegetation in a tropical coastal lagoon habitat in Viet Nam
  10. Species diversity and distribution of seagrasses from the South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
  11. Genetics and physiology
  12. Population genetic subdivision of seagrasses, Syringodium isoetifolium and Thalassia hemprichii, in the Indonesian Archipelago
  13. Photosynthetic and antioxidant responses of the tropical intertidal seagrasses Halophila ovalis and Thalassia hemprichii to moderate and high irradiances
  14. Physiological responses of Enhalus acoroides to osmotic stress
  15. Management and applications
  16. Seagrass in Southeast Asia: a review of status and knowledge gaps, and a road map for conservation
  17. Decadal biomass and area changes in a multi-species meadow in Singapore: application of multi-resolution satellite imagery
  18. A proposed decision support tool for prioritising conservation planning of Southeast Asian seagrass meadows: combined approaches based on ecosystem services and vulnerability analyses
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2026 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 17.2.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/bot-2017-0091/html
Scroll to top button