Alternative energy pathways in Southern Ocean food webs : combining theoretical, empirical and modelling approaches ...

• Main Author: McCormack, Stacey
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Of Tasmania 2023
• Subjects: Antarctic; Southern Ocean; Antarc*; Antarctic Krill; Euphausia superba
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23238014.v1; https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/Alternative_energy_pathways_in_Southern_Ocean_food_webs_combining_theoretical_empirical_and_modelling_approaches/23238014/1

The flow of biomass and energy in Southern Ocean food webs is not well characterised, but is crucial in determining how Antarctic marine ecosystems may respond to environmental change and harvesting, and for formulating appropriate management and conservation strategies. Energy flow in Southern Ocean ecosystems is often described in terms of the short, highly efficient food chain, with Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) dominating energy transfer from primary producers to higher trophic levels. However, there is increasing evidence that alternative energy pathways through other types of zooplankton and mesopelagic fish and squid are equally, if not more important in some regions or years. The question of the importance of these alternative pathways has not yet been examined at a circumpolar scale. The thesis draws together diverse approaches from theoretical ecology, empirical research and quantitative ecosystem modelling to generate novel and important insights into Southern Ocean food web structures and ...