Composition patterns of surface mesozooplankton in the zonal fronts of Drake Passage

Abstract Zooplankton is the main food source for higher trophic levels in marine environments. In the Southern Ocean, the distribution of zooplankton is related to the physical gradient of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) fronts. Our objective was to determinate the distribution of mesozoopla...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Esquivel-Garrote, Octavio, Muxagata, Erik
Other Authors: Koski, Marja, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico, National Council for Research and Development, Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, INTERBIOTA and ECOPELAGOS
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2023
Subjects:
Ecology
Aquatic Science
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Drake Passage
Southern Ocean
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbad040
https://academic.oup.com/plankt/article-pdf/45/6/853/54118462/fbad040.pdf
Description
Summary:Abstract Zooplankton is the main food source for higher trophic levels in marine environments. In the Southern Ocean, the distribution of zooplankton is related to the physical gradient of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) fronts. Our objective was to determinate the distribution of mesozooplankton in relation to the ACC fronts in the Drake Passage. Samples were collected with the Continuous Plankton Recorder in two transects. Mesozooplankton was associated with environmental variables. High mesozooplankton abundances were recorded in the Subantarctic Front in 2017 and in the Antarctic Zone in 2016. A total of 81 taxa and 23 species in 2016 and 31 in 2017 were identified. Copepoda was the most abundant group (89%), and Centropages brachiatus (3 872 ind. m−3) and Oithona spp. (2 916 ind. m−3) were the most abundant copepod taxa. Mesozooplankton abundance and composition were influenced by front variability. Taxa were contracted northward on 2016 and displaced southward in 2017 and linked to chlorophyll a (Chl a) values recorded in the coastal shelf of South America. Chl a values registered close to Antarctic Peninsula were not linked to mesozooplankton abundance. Changes in abundances of certain taxa may reflect distinct climate events. These changes may impact the availability of prey for higher trophic levels, either through displacement for food or food availability.

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