Zooplankton distribution across Fram Strait in autumn: Are small copepods and protozooplankton important?

Svensen, Camilla; Seuthe, Lena; Vasilyeva, Yulia; Pasternak, A. F.; Hansen, Edmond

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2011.08.001

Cited by 60 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Different size fractions have been shown to exhibit different associations with the environment (Trudnowska et al 2016), and this was also demonstrated in our study, as the highest share of small fraction coincided with higher sea temperatures. A similar association, represented by a decline in Calanus abundance, observed together with the elevated importance of small-sized copepods in the upper 60 m in September 2006/2007 has already been documented in the Fram Strait region (Svensen et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Large versus small zooplankton in relation to temperature in the Arctic shelf region

et al. 2018

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Large versus small zooplankton in relation to temperature in the Arctic shelf region

et al. 2018

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“…Even though it is one of the most abundant copepods in Arctic and subarctic regions (Auel & Hagen 2002, Hopcroft et al 2005, Møller et al 2006, Madsen et al 2008, Svensen et al 2011), the population dynamics of Oithona similis have not been investigated thoroughly in Greenland. In the present study, we found all developmental stages of O. similis present during the period of sampling.…”

Section: Population Dynamics Of Oithona Similismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is mainly due to their high contribution to the copepod biomass relative to smaller species but is also conditioned by the historical undersampling of small copepods due to use of coarse (> 200 μm) plankton nets (Gallienne & Robins 2001). Recent investigations, however, have shown the relevance of small copepods in the Arctic (Auel & Hagen 2002, Hopcroft et al 2005, Svensen et al 2011. Despite their size, these copepods are important in terms of abundance, biomass, and production, especially in coastal waters and fjord systems of the northern hemisphere (Nielsen & Andersen 2002, Lischka & Hagen 2005, Arendt et al 2010.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plankton community structure and role of Oithona similis on the western coast of Greenland during the winter-spring transition

Zamora-Terol¹,

Nielsen²,

Saiz³

2013

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis is one of the most abundant copepods in the oceans and has a potentially important role in pelagic food webs. However, there is a lack of knowledge on aspects of its biology and function in planktonic communities. In the present study, we aimed to assess and compare the species' trophic role in Greenlandic coastal waters during the winter-spring transition, with a focus on its winter behaviour, when large calanoids are not present in the surface layer. Two locations were studied: waters offshore from Godthåbsfjord (Nuuk) in winter, and Qeqertarsuaq (Disko Bay) in spring (bloom and post-bloom period). The potential prey of adult females of O. similis was quantified, and grazing experiments were conducted to determine the feeding rates of adult females on phytoplankton and protozooplankton >10 μm. The abundance, stage composition, and egg production of O. similis was also investigated. Ciliates were the preferred prey for O. similis, which confirms its importance as a link between the microbial food web and higher trophic levels. We observed high egg production rates and efficiencies of O. similis in winter, confirming that it is active and successfully reproductive in food-limited winter conditions. Our results stress that O. similis is a key component of Arctic and subarctic marine communities throughout the year.KEY WORDS: Oithona similis · Trophic role · Egg production · Greenland · Winter · Bloom · Arctic Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 483: [85][86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102] 2013 of Greenland (Head et al. 2003, Thor et al. 2005, Madsen et al. 2008, and within the genus, Oithona similis is a cosmopolitan species. Oithona spp. have been described to have year-round presence (Hansen et al. 2004) and reproductive activity (Nielsen & Sabatini 1996, Ward & Hirst 2007, and it has been argued that these copepods can exploit microbial food webs more efficiently than calanoid copepods (Nielsen & Sabatini 1996), characteristics that make Oithona spp. populations more stable in time and space than those of calanoid copepods (Paffenhöfer 1993). Consequently, Oithona spp. could be important food sources for fish larvae and larger zooplankton, especially in those periods of the year when other potential prey are not available.Regarding Arctic marine environments, only few studies on the biology of Oithona spp. have been published , Ward & Hirst 2007, Madsen et al. 2008, Narcy et al. 2009), and even less is known about their feeding ecology. It has been reported that Oithona similis prefer motile prey, especially ciliates (Nakamura & Turner 1997, Lonsdale et al. 2000, Castellani et al. 2005a, although many aspects of their natural diet are still unknown. Thus, our knowledge on their feeding activity in winter in high-latitude environments is almost nonexistent since most of the studies have focused on more productive periods of the year (Atkinson 1996, Møller et al. 2006...

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“…Also considering their high population turnover rates, these species play an important role in Arctic marine food webs, despite their small size (McLaren and Corkett, 1978;Auel and Hagen, 2002;Hopcroft et al, 2005). Particularly in autumn, when the larger herbivorous copepods of the genus Calanus leave the upper layers of the water column to overwinter at depth, a niche is created for smaller copepods (Svensen et al, 2011), "niche" being defined as "the actual place and role in an ecosystem an organism or species occupies" (Lawrence, 1989). Thus particularly in autumn and winter, the smaller species are ecologically important, restructuring the grazer chain and ensuring a continuous food supply for higher trophic levels (Conover and Huntley, 1991;Hansen et al, 1999;Møller et al, 2006;Zamora-Terol et al, 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Lipid turnover reflects life-cycle strategies of small-sized Arctic copepods

et al. 2016

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This study aimed at understanding how life-cycle strategies of the primarily herbivorous Pseudocalanus minutus and the omnivorous Oithona similis are reflected by their lipid carbon turnover capacities. The copepods were collected in Billefjorden, Svalbard, and fed with 13 C labeled flagellates and diatoms during 3 weeks. Fatty acid (FA) and fatty alcohol compositions were determined by gas chromatography, 13 C incorporation was monitored using isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Maximum lipid turnover occurred in P. minutus, which exchanged 54.4% of total lipid, whereas 9.4% were exchanged in O. similis. In P. minutus, the diatom markers 16:1(n-7), 16:2(n-4) and 16:3(n-4) were almost completely renewed from the diet within 21 days, while 15% of the flagellate markers 18:2(n-6), 18:3(n-3) and 18:4 (n-3) were exchanged. In O. similis, 15% of both flagellate and diatom markers were renewed. P. minutus exhibited typical physiological adaptations of herbivorous copepod species, with a very high lipid turnover rate and the ability to integrate FAs more rapidly from diatoms than from flagellates. O. similis depended much less on lipid reserves and had a lower lipid turnover rate, but was able to ingest and/or assimilate lipids with the same intensity from various food sources, to sustain shorter periods of food shortage.

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Zooplankton distribution across Fram Strait in autumn: Are small copepods and protozooplankton important?

Cited by 60 publications

References 55 publications

Large versus small zooplankton in relation to temperature in the Arctic shelf region

Large versus small zooplankton in relation to temperature in the Arctic shelf region

Plankton community structure and role of Oithona similis on the western coast of Greenland during the winter-spring transition

Lipid turnover reflects life-cycle strategies of small-sized Arctic copepods

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