The distance demersal zooplankton migrate above the benthos: implications for predation

Alldredge, Alice L.; King, J. M.

doi:10.1007/bf00392494

Cited by 97 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This model is supported by studies of both demersal and pelagic zooplankton (Robertson & Howard 1978, Alldredge & King 1985, Ohman 1990, Osgood & Frost 1994, although the impact of predation on zooplankton v a n e s with nntogenetic stage, food availability, and predator evasion or defence mechanisms (Bryan et al 1995, Morgan 1995, McClintock et al 1996. Alternative explanations for diel vertical movement by zooplankton include conservation of energy in association with vertical thermal gradients (McLaren 1974, Williamson et al 1996, escape from physiological stress such as photodamage (Lampert 1989, Morgan & Christy 1996, and the exploitation of phytoplankton rich surface waters at night (Enright 1977).…”

mentioning

confidence: 63%

Diel vertical movement by mesograzers on seaweeds

Rogers¹,

Williamson²,

Carson³

et al. 1998

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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ABSTRACT-Diel vertical movement is well documented for many zooplankton. The ecology of small benthic herbivores which use seaweeds as food and habitat, known as 'mesograzers', is similar in some regards to zooplankton, and we hypothesised that mesograzers might also exhlbit diel patterns of movement on host algae. We studied 3 non-swimming species of mesograzer, the sea hare Aplysia parvula, the sea urchin Holopneustes purpurascens, and the prosobranch mollusc Phasianotrochus eximius. All exhibited diel movement on host algae. This behaviour occurred on different host algae, despite variation in algal morphology and other characters. Possible factors causing diel movement by mesograzers include predation, nutritional gain, avoidance of photodamage, micro-environmental vanation near host algae, and reproductive strategies. These are discussed with regard to mesograzers and related to theories for diel vertical movement by zooplankton. The relative ease of experimental manipulation of benthic seaweeds and mesograzers makes them suitable as model systems to test theories for dlel vertical movement.

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confidence: 63%

Diel vertical movement by mesograzers on seaweeds

Rogers¹,

Williamson²,

Carson³

et al. 1998

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Most vertically migrating open water holoplankton avoid visual predators by swimming upward to feed at night and down in the day (Hamner 1995). Hyperbenthic and demersal zooplankters over sandy bottoms and holoplankton over some non-reef habitats are in higher abundance near the bottom where they find protection from transient predators foraging higher in the water column (Alldredge and King 1985;Barans et al 1997;Kringel et al 2003;Carleton and Hamner 2007). These habitats are considerably different from coral reef habitats where fish predators are both abundant and associated with particular bottom features.…”

Section: Ultimate Causes Of Observed Zooplankton Gradientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Near-surface enrichment of zooplankton over a shallow back reef: implications for coral reef food webs

Alldredge

King

2009

Coral Reefs

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Zooplankton were 3-8 times more abundant during the day near the surface than elsewhere in the water column over a 1-2.4 m deep back reef in Moorea, French Polynesia. Zooplankton were also significantly more abundant near the surface at night although gradients were most pronounced under moonlight. Zooplankton in a unidirectional current became concentrated near the surface within 2 m of departing a well-mixed trough immediately behind the reef crest, indicating that upward swimming behavior, rather than near-bottom depletion by reef planktivores, was the proximal cause of these gradients. Zooplankton were highly enriched near the surface before and after a full lunar eclipse but distributed evenly throughout the water column during the eclipse itself supporting light as a proximal cue for the upward swimming behavior of many taxa. This is the first investigation of the vertical distribution of zooplankton over a shallow back reef typical of island barrier reef systems common around the world. Previous studies on deeper fringing reefs found zooplankton depletion near the bottom but no enrichment aloft. In Moorea, where seawater is continuously recirculated out the lagoon and back across the reef crest onto the back reef, selection for upward swimming behavior may be especially strong, because the surface serves both as a refuge from predation and an optimum location for retention within the reef system. Planktivorous fish and corals that can forage or grow even marginally higher in the water column might have a substantial competitive advantage over those nearer the bottom on shallow reefs. Zooplankton abundance varied more over a few tens of centimeters vertical distance than it did between seasons or even between day and night indicating that great care must be taken to accurately assess the availability of zooplankton as food on shallow reefs.

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“…Previous studies reported that DZ are highly abundant in shallow habitats (Melo et al, 2010). DZ usually reside in the top 3 cm of the sediment, emerging in large numbers at night and occupying the water column up to 30 cm from the bottom (Alldredge and King, 1985). They only remain in the water column for a short time to avoid predators that use vision to locate their prey (Alldredge and King, 1985).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…DZ usually reside in the top 3 cm of the sediment, emerging in large numbers at night and occupying the water column up to 30 cm from the bottom (Alldredge and King, 1985). They only remain in the water column for a short time to avoid predators that use vision to locate their prey (Alldredge and King, 1985). In the present study, DZ abundance ranged from 4.0 to 11.3 × 10 4 ind.m -2 (Figure 2A), with a wide range of body sizes being detected (75 to 9100 µm) ( Table 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Demersal Zooplankton as a Food Source for Higher Trophic Levels at Fukido Estuary, Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan

Hung¹,

Casareto²,

Hayashizaki³

et al. 2017

ijms

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Demersal zooplankton (DZ) appear in the water column at night, and are highly abundant in mangrove, seagrass, and coral reef habitats; however, few studies have discussed their role in aquatic food webs, considering different consumers and their preferences on different DZ' size classes. This study elucidates the role of DZ as a food source for higher trophic levels in an estuarine area, particularly with respect to the food preference and size selection of their consumers. The study was conducted in the mangrove forest of Fukido Estuary and an adjacent reef lagoon (with seagrass-dominated and seagrass-coral mixture areas) on Ishigaki Island, Japan. The abundance of demersal zooplankton was 4.0, 5.4, and 11.3×10 4 ind.m -2 for seagrass, mangrove, and seagrass-coral mixture habitats, respectively. The lowest DZ biomass was recorded in mangroves and mainly dominated by smaller organisms, because their consumers in this habitat prefer large-sized prey. The δ 13 C and δ 15 N signatures showed that, in mangroves, demersal zooplankton constituted a higher proportion of the diet of fishes than in lagoon habitats; however, demersal zooplankton did not have a significant role in the diet of fishes and macroinvertebrates in the lagoon. Consistency among biomass, stomach contents, and the proportions of DZ of all size classes in the diet of mangrove fishes indicated that DZ serve as a major food source. In contrast, fishes in lagoon habitats consumed more crabs, shrimps and mollusks than DZ. In conclusion, our analytical approach allowed us to demonstrate that DZ of different body sizes serve as food sources for different consumers in different habitats of the estuarine ecosystem.

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The distance demersal zooplankton migrate above the benthos: implications for predation

Cited by 97 publications

References 20 publications

Diel vertical movement by mesograzers on seaweeds

Diel vertical movement by mesograzers on seaweeds

Near-surface enrichment of zooplankton over a shallow back reef: implications for coral reef food webs

Role of Demersal Zooplankton as a Food Source for Higher Trophic Levels at Fukido Estuary, Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan

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