Surviving under the Antarctic sea ice : a study of the feeding ecology of Antarctic krill ...

• Main Author: Jia, Z
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Of Tasmania 2023
• Subjects: Antarctic; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctic Krill; Euphausia superba; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23239040; https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/Surviving_under_the_Antarctic_sea_ice_a_study_of_the_feeding_ecology_of_Antarctic_krill/23239040

Antarctic sea ice covers approximately 4 million km2 during minimum extent in February/ March and grows to 19 million km2 during maximum extent in September/October. This sea ice zone harbours a wide diversity of biota and supports large populations of unique Antarctic organisms. During the satellite era, Antarctic sea ice has shown strong regional changes in its extent, duration, and the timing of the annual advance and retreat. Improving our understanding of the relationships between sea ice and ice associated animals will fill a crucial knowledge gap, which will facilitate the conservation and management of the Southern Ocean ecosystems and resources. This thesis compiles three studies focusing on the feeding ecology of Antarctic ice associated zooplankton during the winter-spring transition. This work concentrates on Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), a key species with ecological and commercial significance in Southern Ocean ecosystems. Morphology defines an animal's feeding capability. The ...