ARCTIC Feeding, Respiration and Excretion of the Copepod Calanus hyperboreus from Baffin Bay, Including Waters Contaminated by Oil Seeps

ABSTRACT. Metabolic processes in eastern arctic copepods Culunus hyperboreus were analyzed during the post-bloom period (August-September). Mixed adult and subadult copepods were collected from 12 stations in Baffin Bay (Davis Strait to Lancaster Sound) by trawling from 0-300 m. Measurements were ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Edward S Gilfillan, John H. Vandermeulen, Sherry Hanson
Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1985
Subjects:
Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.567.3743
http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic39-2-158.pdf
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Summary:ABSTRACT. Metabolic processes in eastern arctic copepods Culunus hyperboreus were analyzed during the post-bloom period (August-September). Mixed adult and subadult copepods were collected from 12 stations in Baffin Bay (Davis Strait to Lancaster Sound) by trawling from 0-300 m. Measurements were made of clearance rate, 02-consumption and NH3 excretion. The cruise track included 6 stations in oil-seep contaminated waters of Scott Inlet and Buchan Gulf. Physiological parameters for populations of C. hyperboreus from the latter stations were compared with those from non-seep stations. Mean Oz consumption rates (0.309-0.907 pl 02.mg dry wt ".h-') for all stations were similar to those described for Antarctic calanoid species but were higher than reported from more northern arctic waters. Mean ammonia excretion rates (0.023-0.071 pg N.mg dry wt".h") were somewhat lower than reported for comparable Antarctic species and were similar to values from other eastern arctic studies. O:N ratios for 1 1 of the 12 stations occupied ranged between 8.4 and 22.1, indicative of protein-based metabolism. The single exception was a High Arctic station with O:N ratio 43.6. Clearance rates were low to nonexistent for all stations. Most of the non-feeding values came from the Scott Inlet-Buchan Gulf region of western Baffin Bay. At those stations in this region a strong negative correlation (P <.01) exists between clearance rate and hydrocarbon contamination. This suggests that in the oil-seep region of Baffin Bay feeding may be suppressed in Culunus hyperboreus by low concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons derived from sub-sea seepage.