Trophic relationship between mussels and scale worms under various seepage intensities in the haima cold seep: Insights from stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and C:N:P stoichiometry

The deep-sea mussels Gigantidas haimaensis (Mytilidae: Bathymodiolinae) usually contain one scale worm Branchipolynoe pettiboneae in their mantle cavity in the Haima cold seep, South China Sea. To explore their environmental adaptation and coexistence mechanisms, the stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and C:N:P ecological stoichiometry of G. haimaensis and the associated B. pettiboneae were investigated under different methane seepage intensities. In the presence of seepage, most mussels harbored one scale worm in their mantle cavity. However, under seepage cease, the physiological status of mussels looked unhealthy, and no scale worm appeared in their bodies. The variation in δ13C values was great among different mussel tissues, ranging from −49.7‰ to −57.8‰. The δ13C values of mussel tissues followed the order of foot > gill > mantle under active seepage, while no regular trend was found under seepage cease. The δ13C and δ15N of scale worms were averagely enriched by 2.9 ‰ and 3.2 ‰ relative to their mussel hosts, and the trophic niche separation between scale worms and mussels was more significant under active seepage. The δ13C value of mussel foot was significantly higher under active seepage (average −50.8‰) than under seepage cease (average −55.1‰), indicating that mussels might ingest and assimilate more 13C-rich suspended particulate organic matter (POM) under active seepage. In mantle tissues, the high C:N ratio and low δ13C value should be attributed to the high content of energy storage substances. The C:N ratio of mantle dramatically declined with the exhaustion of energy storage materials under seepage cease. The variation of P content was most significant in the gill, which might be regulated by the abundance of symbiotic bacteria. It can be speculated that the dramatic decline of P content in the gill was attributed to the loss of high-P bacterial symbionts under seepage cease. Both the C:P and N:P ratios of gill tissues significantly increased under seepage cease, which suggested the decline of food quality for scale worms. Mussel-dwelling scale worms might detect the change of food quality and abandon their starving mussel host. Our results help to better understand the environmental adaptation of chemoautotrophic mussels and scale worms under unstable seepage intensity in cold seep ecosystems.