Changes in zooplankton communities from epipelagic to lower mesopelagic waters

Stefanoudis, Paris V.; Rivers, Molly; Ford, Helen; Yashayaev, Igor; Rogers, Alex D.; Woodall, Lucy C.

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.02.014

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…The animal component of our eDNA results declined with depth, and this result is consistent with Stefanoudis et al (2019), who, in a survey extending to 800 m depth based on specimen identifications from net tows, showed that zooplankton abundance decreased substantially below 200 m. In our study, the observed decline was approximately coincident with the pycnocline (which was located in the 0-200 m depth interval in Stefanoudis et al (2019)). While the pycnocline can be a barrier for animal dispersal (Suzuki et al, 2018), Closek et al (2019) found no significant difference in fish taxa identified from eDNA above and below the pycnocline off of the central California coast.…”

Section: Biodiversity Detectionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The lower frequencies that we used (18 and 38 kHz) were more informative for our sampling as they penetrate to deeper depths. These frequencies also tend to detect gas-bearing organisms such as siphonophores and fish with swim bladders (Lavery et al, 2007) although deep scattering layers may contain a wide range of animal taxa (Stefanoudis et al, 2019). While the relationship between eDNA concentration and abundance or biomass is often not direct (Andruszkiewicz et al, 2017b), biomass indicated by acoustic backscatter has been correlated with eDNA signals.…”

Section: Biomass and Edna Sampling Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the Use of Environmental DNA (eDNA) to Detect Animal Taxa in the Mesopelagic Zone

et al. 2021

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Animal biodiversity in the ocean’s vast mesopelagic zone is relatively poorly studied due to technological and logistical challenges. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analyses show great promise for efficiently characterizing biodiversity and could provide new insight into the presence of mesopelagic species, including those that are missed by traditional net sampling. Here, we explore the utility of eDNA for identifying animal taxa. We describe the results from an August 2018 cruise in Slope Water off the northeast United States. Samples for eDNA analysis were collected using Niskin bottles during five CTD casts. Sampling depths along each cast were selected based on the presence of biomass as indicated by the shipboard Simrad EK60 echosounder. Metabarcoding of the 18S V9 gene region was used to assess taxonomic diversity. eDNA metabarcoding results were compared with those from net-collected (MOCNESS) plankton samples. We found that the MOCNESS sampling recovered more animal taxa, but the number of taxa detected per liter of water sampled was significantly higher in the eDNA samples. eDNA was especially useful for detecting delicate gelatinous animals which are undersampled by nets. We also detected eDNA changes in community composition with depth, but not with sample collection time (day vs. night). We provide recommendations for applying eDNA-based methods in the mesopelagic including the need for studies enabling interpretation of eDNA signals and improvement of barcode reference databases.

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Section: Biodiversity Detectionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Biomass and Edna Sampling Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Use of Environmental DNA (eDNA) to Detect Animal Taxa in the Mesopelagic Zone

et al. 2021

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“…Indeed, all stomach of A. affinis collected at night had food content, while those sampled at daytime were mostly empty. Additionally, the major prey taxa recovered in the stomachs of this species were fish larvae (13 mm) and ostracods (3.3-4.5 mm), organisms typically found in higher densities in epipelagic waters (especially at night) (Parra et al, 2019;Stefanoudis et al, 2019). The nightly ascension of these species has also been reported in the western Indian…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Hatchetfishes (Stomiiformes: Sternoptychidae) biodiversity, trophic ecology, vertical niche partitioning and functional roles in the western Tropical Atlantic

Eduardo

Bertrand

Mincarone

et al. 2020

Progress in Oceanography

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Species of the family Sternoptychidae (hatchetfishes) occur worldwide and play critical roles by sequestering carbon, recycling nutrients, and acting as a key trophic link between epipelagic primary consumers and higher trophic levels in marine ecosystems. Nevertheless, basic knowledge on their ecology is still lacking and their functional ecology remains understudied with respect to composition, organization, functions and environment interactions. Here we integrated comprehensive information collected in the western Tropical Atlantic on the diversity, abundance, distribution and trophic ecology of hatchetfishes, including physicochemical features of their habitats and extensive carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data on its main prey groups. On this basis we defined five functional groups of hatchetfishes with different diet preference, isotopic composition, and vertical abundance peaks and reveal a possible high resource partitioning. Additionally, these species might have a different feeding tie chronology. Hence, hatchetfishes segregate in different ecological groups responding differently to environmental constraints including oxygen concentration and presenting diverse functional roles. As deep-sea species that migrate to epipelagic waters, hatchetfishes may play a key role in the transfer of sub-surface photoassimilated carbon to deeper waters, a pathway through which the effects of climate change at the surface are transferred to the deep ocean. Moreover, as consumers of gelatinous organisms, these species convert "gelatinous energy" into "fish energy" readily usable by higher trophic levels, including endangered and commercially important species. This is a crucial trophic relationship that has been historically underestimated due to methodology limitations (e.g., quickly digested gelatinous organisms were probably underestimated in previous studies, based solely on stomach contents). Considering in ecosystem models this trophic relationship, as well as the functional organization of hatchetfishes, is important to properly answer important ecological questions including resource use, carbon transportation, and influence of mesopelagic community in climate change process.Please note that this is an author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available on the publisher Web site. Highlights ► Hatchetfishes were divided into five functional groups. ► Hatchetfishes have different diet, isotopic composition, and vertical distribution. ► Hatchetfishes are differently distributed in relation to oceanographic features. ► Hatchetfishes forage more on gelatinous organisms than previously thought. ► Hatchetfishes play a key role in the transfer of photoassimilated carbon to deeper waters.

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“…Indeed, species of Myctophidae are amongst the most important epipelagic zooplankton consumers, feeding up to 30% of their daily stocks 61,62 . Likewise, most of the euphausiids species undergo diel vertical migrations, where they move upwards at night, usually in the layer of maximum chlorophyll concentration, seeking a high density of prey 63,64 . We thus deduce that most viperfish prey are epipelagic migrants that forage on surface waters.…”

Section: Trophic Ecology Differences On the Vertical Distribution Almentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic ecology, habitat, and migratory behaviour of the viperfish Chauliodus sloani reveal a key mesopelagic player

Eduardo

Lucena‐Frédou

Mincarone

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Mesopelagic fishes are numerically the most important vertebrate group of all world’s oceans. While these species are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities, basic biological knowledge is still lacking. For instance, major uncertainties remain on the behaviour, ecology, and thus functional roles of mesopelagic micronektivores, particularly regarding their interactions with physicochemical features. Here, we examine the trophic ecology, habitat, and migratory behaviour of the viperfish (Chauliodus sloani)—a poorly known and abundant deep-sea species—to further understand the ecology and thus functional role of mesopelagic micronektivores. Moreover, we explore how physical drivers may affect these features and how these relationships are likely to change over large oceanic areas. The viperfish heavily preys on epipelagic migrant species, especially myctophids, and presents spatial and trophic ontogenetic shifts. Temperature restricts its vertical distribution. Therefore, its trophodynamics, migratory behaviour, and functional roles are expected to be modulated by the latitudinal change in temperature. For instance, in most tropical regions the viperfish stay full-time feeding, excreting, and serving as prey (e.g. for bathypelagic predators) at deep layers. On the contrary, in temperate regions, the viperfish ascend to superficial waters where they trophically interact with epipelagic predators and may release carbon where its remineralization is the greatest.

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Changes in zooplankton communities from epipelagic to lower mesopelagic waters

Cited by 11 publications

References 64 publications

Exploring the Use of Environmental DNA (eDNA) to Detect Animal Taxa in the Mesopelagic Zone

Exploring the Use of Environmental DNA (eDNA) to Detect Animal Taxa in the Mesopelagic Zone

Hatchetfishes (Stomiiformes: Sternoptychidae) biodiversity, trophic ecology, vertical niche partitioning and functional roles in the western Tropical Atlantic

Trophic ecology, habitat, and migratory behaviour of the viperfish Chauliodus sloani reveal a key mesopelagic player

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