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1.
The zooplankton community of the subarctic Pacific is relatively simple, and contains a similar set of major species in all deep water areas of the subarctic Pacific. Their role in the food web varies considerably between coastal and offshore locations. In the oceanic gyres, microzooplankton and other mesozooplankton taxa replace phytoplankton as the primary food source for the dominant mesozooplankton species. Micronekton and larger zooplankton probably replace pelagic fish as major direct predators. Productivity and upper ocean biomass concentrations are intensely seasonal, in part because of seasonality of the physical environment and food supply, but also because of life history patterns involving seasonal vertical migrations (400–2000 m range) and winter dormancy. During the spring–summer season of upper ocean growth, small scale horizontal and vertical patchiness is intense. This can create local zones of high prey availability for predators such as planktivorous fish, birds, and marine mammals. On average, the cores of the subarctic gyres have lower biomass and productivity than the margins of the gyres. There is also some evidence that the Western Gyre is more productive than the Alaska Gyre, but more research is needed to confirm whether this east–west gradient is permanent. There is increasing evidence that the pattern of zooplankton productivity is changing over time, probably in response to interdecadal ocean climate variability. These changes include 2–3 fold shifts in total biomass, 30–60 day shifts in seasonal timing, and 10–25% changes in average body length.  相似文献   

2.
Abundances and biomasses of planktonic ciliates and copepod nauplii, major components of the microzooplankton community, were investigated in the subarctic North Pacific and the Bering Sea in summer of 1997. Their regional variation was illustrated by demarcating the entire area into five regions. Ciliates always predominated both in abundance (>94%) and biomass (>78%) over nauplii. Regional means of ciliates in the water column were higher in the Alaskan Gyre (120 × 106 cells/m2) and the Western Subarctic Gyre (110 × 106 cells/m2) in terms of abundance, and rich in the Bering Sea Gyre (360 mgC/m2) and the Western Subarctic Gyre (340 mgC/m2) in terms of biomass. By contrast, standing crops of ciliates were poor in the Oyashio Region (67 × 106 cells/m2; 170 mgC/m2) and the Transition Region (64 × 106 cells/m2; 160 mgC/m2). The values of biomass reported here are generally in agreement with the values reported previously from the Bering Sea Gyre and the Alaskan Gyre but are considerably higher than the previous value found in the Western Subarctic Gyre. No significant correlations could be found between chlorophyll a crop and standing crops of ciliates and copepod nauplii over the entire subarctic North Pacific and the Bering Sea during this summer.  相似文献   

3.
Biomass distribution and trophodynamics in the oceanic ecosystem in the Oyashio region are presented and analyzed, combining the seasonal data for plankton and micronekton collected at Site H since 1996 with data for nekton and other animals at higher trophic levels from various sources. The total biomass of biological components including bacteria, phytoplankton, microzooplankton, mesozooplankton, micronekton, fishes/squids and marine birds/mammals was 23 g C m−2, among which the most dominant component was mesozooplankton (34% of the total), followed by phytoplankton (28%), bacteria (15%) and microzooplankton (protozoans) (14%). The remainder (9%) was largely composed of micronekton and fish/squid. Marine mammals/birds are only a small fraction (0.14%) of the total biomass. Large/medium grazing copepods (Neocalaus spp., Eucalanus bungii and Metridia spp.) accounted for 77% of the mesozooplankton biomass. Based on information about diet composition, predators were assigned broadly into mean trophic level 3–4, and carbon flow through the grazing food chain was established based on the estimated annual production/food consumption balance of each trophic level. From the food chain scheme, ecological efficiencies as high as 24% were calculated for the primary/secondary production and 21% for the secondary/tertiary production. Biomass and production of bacteria were estimated as 1/10 of the respective values for phytoplankton at Site H, but the role of the microbial food chain remains unresolved in the present analysis. As keystone species in the oceanic Oyashio region, Neocalanus spp. are suggested as a vital link between primary production and production of pelagic fishes, mammals and birds.  相似文献   

4.
Consumption of silicate and nitrate (Si:N molar ratio) in the upper layer of the pelagic subarctic Pacific in summer was evaluated by a regression analysis of silicate vs. nitrate concentrations at the upper 100 m depth. Based on data of three cruises, the pelagic subarctic Pacific can be classified into two groups. First group is characterized by roughly 1:1 consumption of silicate and nitrate, and occupies rather larger area of subarcfic Pacific, i.e., the Gulf of Alaska and the Western Subarctic gyre (averaged slope of Si:N linear regression: 1.21, n = 10 and 1.45, n = 9, respectively). Second group is the regions of the Bering Sea basin and the Oyashio region, and showed higher silicate consumption compared to that of nitrate (averaged slope of Si:N linear regression: 2.14, n = 9 and 2.36, n = 3, respectively). The Si:N difference observed is possibly attributed to relative contribution of diatoms production among the phytoplankton assemblages in the regions, i.e., dominance of diatoms production in the regions of the second group. Higher accumulation of ammonium at the bottom of euphotic layer in the summer Bering Sea basin would also contribute to increase consumption ratio of Si:N amounts.  相似文献   

5.
中型浮游动物因摄食微型浮游动物,释放了微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食压力,这种营养级联效应会增加浮游植物丰度和降低中型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食率,从而弱化浮游生物网营养传递过程中的下行控制作用。本研究在实验室模拟了食物链中肋骨条藻-裸甲藻-双毛纺锤水蚤的营养传递过程,发现在中肋骨条藻低生物量时,双毛纺锤水蚤偏好于选择摄食裸甲藻;高生物量时,双毛纺锤水蚤偏好选择摄食中肋骨条藻。营养传递过程中存在正的级联效应(0.018~0.12 d^-1),级联效应的大小与裸甲藻的摄食率和双毛纺锤水蚤对裸甲藻的摄食选择指数呈现显著的正相关关系。双毛纺锤水蚤对中肋骨条藻的直接摄食死亡率大于营养级联效应,从而导致中肋骨条藻生物量的降低。因此,营养级联效应对中型浮游动物摄食浮游植物的影响要弱于中型浮游动物的直接摄食作用。  相似文献   

6.
The phytoplankton community in the western subarctic Pacific (WSP) is composed mostly of pico- and nanophytoplankton. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) in the <2 μm size fraction accounted for more than half of the total Chl a in all seasons, with higher contributions of up to 75% of the total Chl a in summer and fall. The exception is the western boundary along the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands and the Oyashio region where diatoms make up the majority of total Chl a during the spring bloom. Among the picophytoplankton, picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus are approximately equally abundant, but the former is more important in term of carbon biomass. Despite the lack of a clear seasonal variation in Chl a concentration, primary productivity showed a large seasonal variation, and was lowest in winter and highest in spring. Seasonal succession in the phytoplankton community is also evident with the abundance of diatoms peaking in May, followed by picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus in summer. The growth of phytoplankton (especially >10 μm cell size) in the western subarctic Pacific is often limited by iron bioavailability, and microzooplankton grazing keeps the standing stock of pico- and nano-phytoplankton low. Compared to the other HNLC regions (the eastern equatorial Pacific, the Southern Ocean, and the eastern subarctic Pacific), iron limitation in the Western Subarctic Gyre (WSG) may be less severe probably due to higher iron concentrations. The Oyashio region has similar physical condition, macronutrient supply and phytoplankton species compositions to the WSG, but much higher phytoplankton biomass and primary productivity. The difference between the Oyashio region and the WSG is also believed to be the results of difference in iron bioavailability in both regions. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

7.
The plankton community composition comprising heterotrophic bacteria, pro-/eukaryotes, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, microzooplankton and mesozooplankton was assessed during the spring bloom and at non-bloom stations in the English Channel and Celtic Sea between 6 and 12 April 2002. Non-bloom sites were characterised by a dominance of pro-/eukaryotic phytoplankton <20 μm, higher abundance of heterotrophic nanoflagellates, microzooplankton standing stocks ranging between 60 and 380 mg C m−2, lower mesozooplankton diversity and copepod abundance of between 760 and 2600 ind m−3. Within the bloom, the phytoplankton community was typically dominated by larger cells with low abundance of pro-/eukaryotes. Heterotrophic nanoflagellate cell bio-volume decreased leading to a reduction in biomass whereas microzooplankton biomass increased (360–1500 mg C m−2) due to an increase in cell bio-volume and copepod abundance ranged between 1400 and 3800 ind m−3. Mesozooplankton diversity increased with an increase in productivity. Relationships between the plankton community and environmental data were examined using multivariate statistics and these highlighted significant differences in the abiotic variables, the pro-/eukaryotic phytoplankton communities, heterotrophic nanoflagellate, microzooplankton and total zooplankton communities between the bloom and non-bloom sites. The variables which best described variation in the microzooplankton community were temperature and silicate. The spatial variation in zooplankton diversity was best explained by temperature. This study provides an insight into the changes that occur between trophic levels within the plankton in response to the spring bloom in this area.  相似文献   

8.
This study examined the biomass structure of autotrophic and heterotrophic plankton along a trophic gradient in the northwestern Pacific Ocean in an attempt to understand planktonic food web structure. Autotrophic biomass exceeded that of heterotrophic organisms in all sampling regions, but with lesser contribution to total planktonic biomass at stations of higher phytoplankton biomass, including the northern East China Sea, compared to the regions of lower phytoplankton biomass. The proportion of the biomass of heterotrophic bacteria, nanoflagellates (HNF), and dinoflagellates (HDF) relative to that of phytoplankton was all inversely related to phytoplankton biomass, but positive relationships were observed for both ciliates and mesozooplankton. Mesozooplankton biomass inclined greater than phytoplankton along the gradient of phytoplankton biomass, with biomass rise being most closely associated with ciliate and HDF biomass and, to a lesser degree, with large phytoplankton (>3?μm). Both bacteria and picophytoplankton were significantly and positively related to the biomass ratio of mesozooplankton to the sum of HDF and ciliates (i.e., proxy of mesozooplankton predation on protozoans), but no positive relationship was apparent either for HNF or for large phytoplankton. Such relationships may result from predation relief on lower food webs associated with mesozooplankton feeding on protistan plankton.  相似文献   

9.
During the 1980s, there was a major shift in the understanding of the structure of marine foodwebs. As a result, the microbial loop has been incorporated into the classical concept of the planktonic food chain. Heterotrophic bacteria and Protozoa have been shown to be important components of the plankton biomass in many parts of the world's oceans, and their role in the trophic dynamics of pelagic foodwebs has been studied intensively. In the southern Benguela, field, laboratory and modelling studies have been combined to calculate carbon and nitrogen fluxes through the microheterotrophic portion of the pelagic foodweb. A size-based simulation model incorporating recent hypotheses on the structure and functioning of the pelagic foodweb after upwelling predicts rapid growth of a phytoplankton community dominated by netphytoplankton and chain-forming nanophytoplankton cells. After nitrate-depletion the bloom declines, to be followed by a bloom of single nanophytoplankton cells dependent upon regenerated nitrogen. During conditions of high nitrate availability and a netphytoplankton-dominated community, mesozooplankton ingest 44 per cent of the total primary production through herbivory and 1,4 per cent through carnivory. During periods of low nitrate availability and a nanophytoplankton-dominated community, mesozooplankton ingest 0,6 per cent of the total primary production through herbivory and 5 per cent through carnivory. Food chains are longer and microheterotrophs are an important link between primary producers and the larger heterotrophs. Simulation results show that microheterotrophs are an important component of the pelagic foodweb, primarily as regenerators of nitrogen, which sustains phytoplankton growth, and as a food source for larger heterotrophs of the metazoan foodweb during the nanophytoplankton-dominated bloom.  相似文献   

10.
Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing rates were measured by the dilution technique in the subarctic North Pacific Ocean along a west–east transect during summer 1999. Average phytoplankton growth rates without added nutrients (μ0) were 0.33, 0.41, 0.20 and 0.49 d−1 for the four regions sampled: the Western Gyre, the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska gyre and stations along the Aleutian Trench. Average grazing mortality rates (m) were 0.34, 0.27, 0.20 and 0.49 d−1. Limitation of phytoplankton growth by macronutrients, such as NO3 and SiO2, was identified only at a few stations, with overall μ0/μn (μn is nutrient-enhanced growth rate) averaging 0.9. Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing were approximately balanced, as indicated by high m/μ0 ratio, except in the Bering Sea, where the m/μ0 ratio was 0.65, indicating the relative importance of the diatom-macrozooplankton grazing food chain and possible higher export flux to the deep layer. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the growth rates of picoplankton (Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes) were usually much lower than the total phytoplankton community growth rates estimated from chlorophyll a, except for stations in the Gulf of Alaska Gyre, where the growth rates for different populations were about the same. Lower than community-average growth rate for picoplankton indicates larger phytoplankters, presumably diatoms, were growing at a much faster rate. Suppressed phytoplankton growth in the Gulf of Alaska was probably a result of iron limitation.  相似文献   

11.
Modeling the coastal Gulf of Alaska (CGOA) is complicated by the highly diverse physical and biological features influencing productivity and energy flow through the region. The GOA consists of the offshore oceanic environment, characterized by iron limitation, high-nutrients and low-chlorophyll. The coastal environment is consistently downwelling, with high iron levels from glacial melt water and runoff, but lower concentrations of macronutrients, and with a spring bloom, nutrient depletion cycle (low-nutrient, high-chlorophyll). Cross-shelf movement of water masses mixes coastal and oceanic ecosystem elements.Simulations and field data indicate that the minimum model complexity necessary to characterize lower trophic-level production and biomass in the offshore and coastal regions includes 10 boxes: iron, nitrate, ammonium, small phytoplankton, large phytoplankton, small microzooplankton, large microzooplankton, small copepods, large oceanic copepods and detritus, with copepod mortality as a model closure term. We present the model structure, equations required (and initial parameters used) to simulate onshore and offshore lower trophic-level production in the Gulf of Alaska, along with the information from field data and simulations used to construct the model. We show the results of simulations with and without iron, and with and without two size classes of phytoplankton. These simulations indicate that our method of inclusion of iron works well to distinguish the coastal and the oceanic ecosystems, and that the inclusion of two size categories of phytoplankton is also necessary to generate the differences between these two ecosystems.  相似文献   

12.
A fisheries research cruise conducted in 2000 offered a first opportunity to take simultaneous measurements of the activities of three enzymes in mesozooplankton samples collected at a regional scale over the continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay in the NE Atlantic, with the aim of characterizing main aspects of the functioning of the biotic environment of small pelagic fish populations. The activity of the digestive endopeptidase trypsin was selected to characterize the assimilation rate of proteins, whereas pyruvate kinase (PK) was chosen as an indicator of carbohydrate assimilation and aspartate transcarbamylase (ATC) provided an overall assessment of mesozooplankton productivity. The Bay of Biscay region is subject to various strong physical driving forces that directly affect the primary structure of the pelagic food web. On our cruise, the phytoplankton biomass distribution reflected these different physical influences: diatoms dominated the nutrient-enriched coastal water; picoplankton dominated the northern-central part where nutrients were depleted; and nanoplankton were abundant at the shelf break where internal waves provided an input of nutrients. These and other results (on bacteria, particulate organic carbon distribution, among others) illustrate the differences that exist in the microbial food webs of different sectors of the bay. The living matter produced was characterized by the quality and quantity of the smallest prey items that were available to higher trophic levels. Variations in mesozooplankton enzyme activities may agree well not only with classically expected results, but also present unexpected special features: high ATC specific activities were measured around the mouth of the Gironde, in the nutrient-rich desalted water of the plume, but surprisingly not in front of the Loire river. PK specific activities reflected preponderantly the balance between phytoplankton cells sizes and the related bacterial abundance resulting from nutrient limitation (mainly P), that induces varying carbohydrates production potential. Trypsin specific activities were moderately variable, except in a restricted area where a highly abundant protein content characterized the particulate matter and in the plume of water flowing out of the Gironde. It is concluded that the presented approach of the metabolism of mesozooplankton communities may provide novel views on crucial processes occurring at the mesoscale, which fits in generally well with the scales of ecological factors mostly influential on small pelagic fish populations.  相似文献   

13.
A mesoscale iron fertilization experiment was carried out in the western subarctic Pacific during summer 2004. The iron-patch was traced for 26 days after the enrichment, and the abundance and behavior of meso- and microzooplankton was compared with those outside of the patch. The surface chlorophyll-a concentration in the patch was high between days 10 and 13 (2.5 mg m−3) and decreased to the initial level after day 20. Microzooplankton grazing rates, estimated by a dilution method, was mostly balanced with phytoplankton growth rates throughout the observed period. Dominant mesozooplankton species in the upper 200 m were copepods: dominated by Eucalanus bungii, Neocalanus plumchrus and Metridia pacifica. Species composition did not change in the patch over the observation period. The copepod biomass was 3–5 times higher than in Subarctic Pacific Iron Experiment for Ecosystem Dynamics Study (SEEDS), the previous iron-enrichment experiment in the same area, before the bloom, and exponentially increased both inside and outside the patch, which was mainly brought by the development of N. plumchrus. The development rates of N. plumchrus were not significantly different between inside and outside the patch. Estimated grazing rate suggest that the copepod grazing was main cause of the low accumulation of phytoplankton biomass, and dominance of grazing-resistant organisms such as large ciliates, large diatoms and diatoms with extremely long setae. “Arrested migration” for M. pacifica and upward shift of vertical distribution by E. bungii were observed during the bloom period, even if the accumulation of phytoplankton biomass was very low compared to other iron-enrichment experiments. These results indicate that the copepod grazing shaped the food-web structure of the lower trophic levels (biomass and species composition) in SEEDS II.  相似文献   

14.
Zooplankton and the oceanography of the eastern tropical Pacific: A review   总被引:2,自引:5,他引:2  
We review the spatial and temporal patterns of zooplankton in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and relationships with oceanographic factors that affect zooplankton distribution, abundance and trophic relationships. Large-scale spatial patterns of some zooplankton groups show broad coincidence with surface water masses, circulation, and upwelling regions, in agreement with an ecological and dynamic partitioning of the pelagic ecosystem. The papers reviewed and a new compilation of zooplankton volume data at large-scale show that abundance patterns of zooplankton biomass have their highest values in the upwelling regions, including the Gulf of Tehuantepec, the Costa Rica Dome, the equatorial cold tongue, and the coast of Peru.Some of the first studies of zooplankton vertical distribution were done in this region, and a general review of the topic is presented. The possible physiological implications of vertical migration in zooplankton and the main hypotheses are described, with remarks on the importance of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) as a barrier to both the vertical distribution and migration of zooplankton in the region. Recent results, using multiple-net gear, show that vertical distribution is more complex than previously thought. There are some well-adapted species that do live and migrate within the OMZ.Temporal patterns are reviewed and summarized with historical data. Seasonal variations in zooplankton biomass follow productivity cycles in upwelling areas. No zooplankton time series exist to resolve ENSO effects in oceanic regions, but some El Niño events have had effects in the Peru Current ecosystem. Multidecadal periods of up to 50 years show a shift from a warm sardine regime with a low zooplankton biomass to a cool anchovy regime in the eastern Pacific with higher zooplankton biomasses. However, zooplankton volume off Peru has remained at low values since the 1972 El Niño, a trend opposite to that of anchoveta biomass since 1984.Studies of trophic relations emphasize the difference in the productivity cycle in the eastern tropical Pacific compared to temperate or polar ecosystems, with no particular peaks in the stocks of either zooplankton or phytoplankton. Productivity is more dependent on local events like coastal upwelling or water circulation, especially in the equatorial countercurrent and around the equatorial cool-tongue. Micrograzers are very important in the tropics as are predatory mesozooplankton. Up to 70% of the daily primary productivity is consumed by microzooplankton, which thus regulates the phytoplankton stocks. Micrograzers are an important link between primary producers, including bacteria, and mesozooplankton, constituting up to 80% of mesozooplankton food. Oceanography affects zooplankton trophic relationships through spatial–temporal effects on primary productivity and on the distributions of metabolic factors, food organisms, and predators. This paper is part of a comprehensive review of the oceanography of the eastern tropical Pacific.  相似文献   

15.
An overview of the Oyashio ecosystem   总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3  
The Oyashio shelf region and the seasonally ice-covered areas north of Hokkaido are highly productive, supporting a wide range of species including marine mammals, seabirds and commercially important species in the western subarctic Pacific. The fishes include gadids, such as walleye pollock and Pacific cod, and subarctic migratory pelagic fishes such as chum salmon and pink salmon. It is also an important summer feeding ground for subtropical migrants such as the Japanese sardine, Japanese anchovy, Pacific saury, mackerels, Japanese common squid, whales and seabirds. In recent decades, some components of the Oyashio ecosystem (i.e., phytoplankton, mesozooplankton, gadid fish, and subtropical migrants) have shown changes in species abundance or distribution that are correlated with environmental changes such as the 1976/1977 and 1988/1989 regime shifts. The First Oyashio Intrusion moved northward from the mid-1960s until the late 1970s, when it moved southward until the 1980s, after which it returned to the north again after the mid-1990s. The sea-surface temperature in spring decreased after the late 1970s, increased after the late 1980s, and remained high during the 1990s. The extent of ice cover in the Sea of Okhostk also decreased during the latest warming in the 1980–1990s but has increased again since the late 1990s. This and other variabilities affect the Oyashio ecosystem and the surrounding region.  相似文献   

16.
The trophic efficiency of the planktonic food web in the Phaeocystis-dominated ecosystem of the Belgian coastal waters was inferred from the analysis of the carbon flow network of the planktonic system subdivided into its different trophodynamic groups. A carbon budget was constructed on the basis of process-level field experiments conducted during the spring bloom period of 1998. Biomass and major metabolic activities of auto- and heterotrophic planktonic communities (primary production, bacterial production, nanoproto-, micro- and mesozooplankton feeding activities) were determined in nine field assemblages collected during spring at reference station 330. In 1998, the phytoplankton spring flowering was characterised by a moderate diatom bloom followed by a massive Phaeocystis colony bloom. Phaeocystis colonies, contributing 70% to the net primary production, escaped the linear food chain while the early spring diatom production supplied 74% of the mesozooplankton carbon uptake. The rest of mesozooplankton food requirement was, at the time of the Phaeocystis colony bloom, partially fulfilled by microzooplankton. Only one-third of the microzooplankton production, however, was controlled by mesozooplankton grazing pressure. Ungrazed Phaeocystis colonies were stimulating the establishment of a very active microbial network. On the one hand, the release of free-living cells from ungrazed colonies has been shown to stimulate the growth of microzooplankton, which was controlling 97% of the nanophytoplankton production. On the other hand, the disruption of ungrazed Phaeocystis colonies supplied the water column with large amounts of dissolved organic matter available for planktonic bacteria. The budget calculation suggests that ungrazed colonies contributed up to 60% to the bacterial carbon demand, while alternative sources (exudation, zooplankton egestion and lysis of other organisms) provided some 30% of bacterial carbon requirements. This suggests that the spring carbon demand of planktonic bacteria was satisfied largely by autogenic production. The trophic efficiency was defined as the ratio between mesozooplankton grazing on a given source and food production. In spite of its major contribution to mesozooplankton feeding, the trophic efficiency of the linear food chain, restricted to the grazing on diatoms, represented only 5.6% of the available net primary production. The trophic efficiency of the microbial food chain, the ratio between mesozooplankton grazing on microzooplankton and the resource inflow (the bacterial carbon demand plus the nanophytoplankton production) amounted to only 1.6%. These low trophic efficiencies together with the potential contribution of ungrazed Phaeocystis-derived production to the bacterial carbon demand suggest that during spring 1998 most of the Phaeocystis-derived production in the Belgian coastal area was remineralised in the water column.  相似文献   

17.
To investigate the seasonal variation and community structure of nano- and microzooplankton in Gyeonggi Bay of the Yellow Sea, the abundance and carbon biomass of nano- and microzooplankton were evaluated at 10-day intervals from January 1997 to December 1999. Four major groups of nano- and microzooplankton communities were classified: heterotrophic ciliates, heterotrophic dinoflagellates (HDF), heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF), and copepod nauplii. The total carbon biomass of nano- and microzooplankton ranged from 10.2 to 168.8 μg C L−1 and was highest during or after phytoplankton blooms. Nano- and microzooplankton communities were composed of heterotrophic ciliates (7.4–81.4%; average 41.7% of total biomass), HDF (0.1–70.3%; average 26.1% of total biomass), copepod nauplii (1.6–70.6%; average 20.7% of total biomass), and HNF (0.8–59.5%; average 11.5% of total biomass). The relative contribution of individual components in the nano- and microzooplankton communities appeared to differ by seasons. Ciliates accounted for the most major component of nano- and microzooplankton communities, except during summer and phytoplankton blooming seasons, whereas HDF were more dominant during the phytoplankton blooming seasons. The abundance and biomass of nano- and microzooplankton generally followed the seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton. The size and community distribution of nano- and microzooplankton was positively correlated with size-fractionated phytoplankton. The carbon requirement of microzooplankton ranged from 60 to 83% of daily primary production, and was relatively high when phytoplankton biomass was high. Therefore, our result suggests that the seasonal variation in the community and size composition of nano- and microzooplankton appears to be primarily governed by phytoplankton size and concentration as a food source, and their abundance may greatly affect trophic dynamics by controlling the seasonal abundance of phytoplankton.  相似文献   

18.
19.
Using the seawater dilution technique, we measured phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing rates within and outside of the 1999 Bering Sea coccolithophorid bloom. We found that reduced microzooplankton grazing mortality is a key component in the formation and temporal persistence of the Emiliania huxleyi bloom that continues to proliferate in the southeast Bering Sea. Total chlorophyll a (Chl a) at the study sites ranged from 0.40 to 4.45 μg C l−1. Highest phytoplankton biomass was found within the bloom, which was a mixed assemblage of diatoms and E. huxleyi. Here, 75% of the Chl a came from cells >10 μm and was attributed primarily to the high abundance of the diatom Nitzschia spp. Nutrient-enhanced total phytoplankton growth rates averaged 0.53 d−1 across all experimental stations. Average growth rates for >10 μm and <10 μm cells were nearly equal, while microzooplankton grazing varied among stations and size fractions. Grazing on phytoplankton cells >10 μm ranged from 0.19 to 1.14 d−1. Grazing on cells <10 μm ranged from 0.02 to 1.07 d−1, and was significantly higher at non-bloom (avg. 0.71 d−1) than at bloom (avg. 0.14 d−1) stations. Averaged across all stations, grazing by microzooplankton accounted for 110% and 81% of phytoplankton growth for >10 and <10 μm cells, respectively. These findings contradict the paradigm that microzooplankton are constrained to diets of nanophytoplankton and strongly suggests that their grazing capability extends beyond boundaries assumed by size-based models. Dinoflagellates and oligotrich ciliates dominated the microzooplankton community. Estimates of abundance and biomass for microzooplankton >10 μm were higher than previously reported for the region, ranging from 22,000 to 227,430 cells l−1 and 18 to 164 μg C l−1. Highest abundance and biomass occurred in the bloom and corresponded with increased abundance of the large ciliate Laboea, and the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Protoperidinium and Gyrodinium spp. Despite low grazing rates on phytoplankton <10 μm within the bloom, the abundance and biomass of small microzooplankton (<20 μm) capable of grazing E. huxleyi was relatively high at bloom stations. This body of evidence, coupled with observed high grazing rates on large phytoplankton cells, suggests the phytoplankton community composition was strongly regulated by herbivorous activity of microzooplankton. Because grazing behavior deviated from size-based model predictions and was not proportional to microzooplankton biomass, alternate mechanisms that dictate levels of grazing activity were in effect in the southeastern Bering Sea. We hypothesize that these mechanisms included morphological or chemical signaling between phytoplankton and micrograzers, which led to selective grazing pressure.  相似文献   

20.
We describe the distribution and abundance of the midwater fish community, between 200 m and 500 m, in the North Pacific. The main area of interest was the Subarctic Pacific gyres, but we include species from the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. There were 196 species identified in each gyre, 38 of which were common to both gyres. The most abundant species belong to the family Myctophidae and the most ecologically important myctophid probably is Stenobrachius leucopsarus. This species could have a biomass of approximately 21 million tonnes (t) in the Subarctic Pacific (including the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk). S. leucopsarus is a small (about 8 cm maximum length) fish that lives up to 7 years. It is prey for a variety of other fishes, birds and mammals and may migrate into the mixing layer each evening where it feeds mainly on euphausiids and copepods.The total abundance of midwater fishes appears to be large relative to total catches of other fish in the same areas. The vertical migratory behaviour of some of the residents provides a mechanism to transfer production out of the mixing layer. The movement into the surface layer by some fishes at night indicates that dynamic changes occur in the midwater community between the day and night, and the ecosystem dynamics in the surface layer are different in the day and in the night. This behaviour and the huge biomass relative to commercial species means that the dynamics of fish communities in the Subarctic Pacific are complex and need to be studied over a 24 hour period. The large biomasses may eventually attract commercial interest, thus it is important to establish international, cooperative programs now to learn more about the dynamics of these populations and the relationships with other species.  相似文献   

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