Feeding ecology and metabolism of the Antarctic cydippid ctenophore Callianira antarctica

• Main Authors: Scolardi, K. M., Daly, K. L., Pakhomov, E. A., Torres, J. J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Antarctic; Bellingshausen Sea; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctic Krill; Antarctica; Euphausia superba; Copepods
• Online Access: https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/5752/; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.16315

Clearance rates, ingestion rates and daily rations of the tentaculate ctenophore Callianira sp. were measured during in vitro incubations on board the RV Polarstern in the Eastern Bellingshausen Sea during April and May 2001. Calanoid copepods, larval Antarctic krill Euphausia superba and their mixture were offered to ctenophores during incubations. The ingestion rates of Callianira sp. were linearly related to prey densities expressed as numbers, carbon and nitrogen mass. Both copepods and krill furcilia were consumed with nearly similar rates. Ingestion rates ranged from 9 to 39 prey.ind-1d-1 (mean 20.4±11.6 prey.ind-1d-1, n = 6) and from 3.5 to 4.0 prey.ind-1d-1 (3.7±0.3 prey.ind-1d-1, n = 3) for large (body mass 3.3 mgC) and small (2.4 mgC) Callianira sp., respectively. Daily rations of large Callianira sp. at different prey concentrations varied between 22% and 136% of body C, while daily rations of small Callianira sp. ranged from 6 to 22% of body C.