The autumn mesozooplankton community at South Georgia: biomass, population structure and vertical distribution

Ward, Peter; Shreeve, Rachael; Tarling, Geraint A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3753-5899. 2006 The autumn mesozooplankton community at South Georgia: biomass, population structure and vertical distribution. Polar Biology, 29 (11). 950-962. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-006-0136-3

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Abstract/Summary

Mesozooplankton were sampled at shelf and oceanic stations close to South Georgia, South Atlantic during austral autumn 2004 with a Longhurst Hardy Plankton Recorder. Onshelf biomass ranged from 2.18 to 5.75 g DM m−2 (0–200 m) and was dominated by the small euphausiid Thysanöessa spp. At the oceanic stations (10.57–14.71 g DM m−2, 0–1,000 m) large calanoids, principally Rhincalanus gigas comprised ∼47–52% of biomass. Here Calanus simillimus was still active and reproducing in surface waters (0–11.2 eggs fem day−1) but R. gigas and Calanoides acutus were largely resident in the warm deep water and undergoing their seasonal descent. A comparison with spring and summer data indicated increased abundance and biomass from spring through to summer followed by a decline towards autumn particularly over the shelf. Autumn values in oceanic waters differed little from summer. Mesozooplankton biomass in the surface 200 m of the oceanic stations as a proportion of that found in the top 1,000 m ranged from 63 to 78% of the total in spring and 62–73% in summer, but was only 23–29% of the total in this study, following redistribution down the water column.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-006-0136-3
Programmes:	BAS Programmes > Global Science in the Antarctic Context (2005-2009) > DISCOVERY 2010 - Integrating Southern Ocean Ecosystems into the Earth System
ISSN:	0722-4060
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Full text not available from this repository
Additional Keywords:	Zooplankton
NORA Subject Terms:	Zoology Ecology and Environment
Date made live:	05 Oct 2007 12:40 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/1048

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