Anticyclonic eddies aggregate pelagic predators in a subtropical gyre

Arostegui, Martin C.; Gaube, Peter; Woodworth‐Jefcoats, Phoebe A.; Kobayashi, Donald R.; Braun, Camrin D.

doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05162-6

Cited by 45 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 57 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Furthermore, the differences in the vertical distribution of DSL are likely to have an impact on the accessibility of the prey to diving predators. This difference might be particularly dramatic for air‐breathing animals such as seabirds and marine mammals whose foraging time underwater is limited by the need to breathe at the surface (Guinet et al., 2014; Jaud et al., 2012; O’Toole et al., 2017), but also to fish whose thermal niche can limit the vertical extent of their diving behavior (Arostegui et al., 2022; Braun et al., 2019; Gaube et al., 2018). In general, for air‐breathing predators or fish whose thermal niche is constrained, the metabolic cost associated with getting the same amount of energy if the prey is located deeper in the water column (and therefore potentially in colder water) will be higher.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of a Southern Ocean Cyclonic Eddy on Mesopelagic Micronekton

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mesoscale eddies shape the foraging ecology of predators such as marine mammals and seabirds. A growing number of animal tracking studies show that predators alter their swimming, diving, and foraging behavior within mesoscale eddies. However, little is known about how Southern Ocean eddies influence the distribution of mesopelagic micronekton (fish, squid, and crustaceans), which are major prey items of megafauna. Studies in other oceanic regions have found that eddies can influence the abundance and community composition of micronekton. Here, we analyze acoustic observations from a 14‐day survey of a cyclonic mesoscale eddy, its surrounding waters, and the Polar Frontal Zone (PFZ) waters where the eddy formed. We report and interpret spatial patterns of acoustic backscatter at 18 and 75 kHz, proxies indicating combined changes in species, size, and abundance of micronekton. We find that the vertical distribution of acoustic backscatter matched the underwater light conditions characteristic of the eddy core, periphery, and surrounding waters, at scales smaller than 10 km. The median water‐column integrated acoustic backscatter values in the eddy core were only half of those measured in the Sub‐Antarctic Zone waters surrounding the eddy, but similar to those measured in the PFZ, where the eddy originated 27 days prior. These results suggest that, as for physical and chemical tracers, the eddy maintained its biological characteristics from its source waters creating a unique habitat compared to its surroundings.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of a Southern Ocean Cyclonic Eddy on Mesopelagic Micronekton

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To consider the effect of irradiance in the water column, we use the depth of the euphotic zone (Z eu ) as a proxy of light penetration (Table 1). We also compare diving depths with quantities known to affect lower trophic levels (Arostegui et al 2022), including chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl) from remote-sensing products, and eddy kinetic energy (EKE) from AVISO surface velocities (Table 1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Feeding on mesopelagic fish generally requires adaptations to detect prey in dimly lit environments (Abascal et al 2010; Dewar et al 2011). The physical characteristics of the environment such as fronts and mesoscale eddies also influence the occurrence of prey (Lévy et al 2018) and thus the behavior of predators (Braun et al 2019; Arostegui et al 2022). While recent reviews summarize the significance of these drivers and their variability on time scales ranging from minutes to seasons (Andrzejaczek et al 2019; Braun et al 2022), systematic, quantitative assessments across species based on tagging data remain limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A mechanistic understanding of the drivers of LPP vertical migration could help in anticipating changes in the behavior of key species in a warming ocean (Hazen et al 2019), in particular in the poorly observed mesopelagic ecosystem (Hidalgo and Browman 2019). LPP include closely monitored species of economic value for fisheries and recreation (Arostegui et al 2022; Juan-Jordá et al 2022), protected species, and species threatened by bycatch (Scales et al 2018). Understanding their vertical behavior could thus help management of valuable stocks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Patterns and drivers of the diving behavior of large pelagic predators

Nuno

Guiet

Baranek

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many large pelagic predators, including shark, tuna, and billfish, periodically dive to deep oceanic layers, connecting the surface and mesopelagic ecosystems. However, the patterns and drivers of deep dives across species remain poorly understood. To close this gap, we conduct a meta-analysis of the diving behavior of 24 pelagic predator species from the global ocean, resulting in 671 independent diving depth estimates from 87 tagging studies. Our analysis reveals consistent large-scale patterns in diving depths, with predators diving deeper offshore and during the day, and shallower closer to the coast and during the night. Deep diving species show similar diving depths during the night, with deeper dives for sharks, and shallower dives for tuna and swordfish. These patterns are reversed during the day, widening the gap between day and night vertical ranges for these groups. In contrast, shallow diving species show smaller variations between day and night dives, with sharks diving slightly deeper on average, followed by tuna and billfish. Correlations with co-located environmental variables suggest an important predictive role for proxies of prey abundance and light availability, as well as variables that influence physiology, such as oxygen and temperature. These relationships are more robust for deep divers during the day, and shallow divers at night. Our analysis highlights the value of tagging observations for the development of a mechanistic, quantitative characterization of vertical habitat use of large marine predators and its environmental constraints.

show abstract

“…Anticyclonic eddies could upwell nutrients below the euphotic zone by generating cyclonic surface stress curl and upward Ekman pumping velocities (Gaube et al, 2013). Pelagic predator catches increased in anticyclonic eddies than cyclones and non-eddy (Arostegui et al, 2022). Research on eddy ecology has developed rapidly in the last decade.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%