Copepod feeding strategies in the epipelagic to bathypelagic zone of Prydz Bay, Antarctica: an assessment through fatty acids and stable isotopes

Information on the feeding strategies and dietary preferences of copepods from epipelagic to bathypelagic zones of the Southern Ocean are important for understanding the role of zooplankton in carbon and energy transfers through the food web. Using fatty acids (FA) and stable isotopic biomarkers, th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: Yang, Guang, Li, Chaolun, Wang, Yanqing, Peng, Quancai
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: SPRINGER 2018
Subjects:
Copepods
Prydz Bay
Southern Ocean
Trophic biomarker
Dietary composition
Fatty acids
Stable isotopes
Biodiversity & Conservation
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Biodiversity Conservation
Ecology
Austral
Antarc*
Antarctica
Polar Biology
Online Access:http://ir.qdio.ac.cn/handle/337002/157560
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-018-2286-5
Description
Summary:Information on the feeding strategies and dietary preferences of copepods from epipelagic to bathypelagic zones of the Southern Ocean are important for understanding the role of zooplankton in carbon and energy transfers through the food web. Using fatty acids (FA) and stable isotopic biomarkers, the present study investigated the feeding strategies and trophic niches of seven dominant copepod species (Calanoides acutus, Calanus propinquus, Metridia gerlachei, Rhincalanus gigas, Paraeuchaeta antarctica, Aetideopsis minor and Bathycalanus richardi) collected from various water strata of Prydz Bay, Antarctica during the austral summer of 2013. Copepods showed species-specific and depth-related differences in FA biomarkers and stable isotopic values. C. acutus and C. propinquus had the largest content of long-chain monounsaturated FA, while M. gerlachei had the smallest FA content (approximately 40 mg g(-1) dry weight) and the highest 18:1n-9. FA of R. gigas were dominated by short- and medium-length carbon chains. The species P. antarctica and meso- and bathypelagic species A. minor and B. richardi showed relatively higher levels of carnivorous FA ratios and delta N-15 values. Higher delta N-15 values in M. gerlachei and P. antarctica dwelled in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zone indicated the high diversity of feeding strategies of these copepods responding to the changing food availability. The flexible feeding strategies of copepods could enable them to utilise different ecological niches and minimise inter- and intra-specific competition in the Prydz Bay.

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