Particle uptake and deposition by the 2 most abundant deep-sea demosponge species from the Nolwegian and Greenland Sea (Thenea abyssorum) and the deep fjords of western Norway (Thenea muncata) were studied In flume expenments Fluorescent part~cles of 1, 2, 3 6 10 a n d 16 p m diameter (miclospheres, Duke S c i e n t ~f ~c Corporat1ono) with a density of 1 0 5 g cm were used at 2 curlent velocities, 1 5 and 5 cm s ' Both species ingested small particles exclusively ( < 6 pm and < l 0 pm, respectively) w ~t h a preference for the smallest fiaction at both current speeds The results suggest that the size spectrum actually ingested depends on the s u p p l ~e d particle s u e s rather than on current velocity Culrent velocity fields aiound dead speclinens were recorded and turbulence intens ~t y calculated in older to determine the influence of the sponge actlng as a biogemc structure on the neai-bottom current leginle Disruption of flow conditions was detected as far as 14 cm downstream and several cm laterallv from the blogenic obstacles Bulk biodeposition rates calculated from sponge biomass and volume of Ingested particles iange between 7 and 10 mg d ' g ' ash-free dry weight K E Y WORDS Deep sea Sponge Suspension feeding Biodeposition Blogenic structure Flow regime
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Witte et al. (1997) studied this question.