Comparison of the vertical distribution of pelagic copepod abundance, biomass and community structure between the Atlantic and Pacific sectors of the Arctic Ocean

• Main Authors: Abe, Yoshiyuki, Hildebrandt, Nicole, Matsuno, Kohei, Niehoff, Barbara, Yamaguchi, Atsushi
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 北海道大学大学院水産科学研究院
• Subjects: Copepods; Fram Strait; Canada Basin; Vertical distribution; Arctic Ocean; Calanus finmarchicus; Spinocalanidae; 660; Arctic; Canada; Pacific; canada basin; Zooplankton
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2115/79120; https://doi.org/10.14943/bull.fish.70.1.91

We compared copepod abundance, biomass and community structure in the Atlantic sector (Fram Strait) and Pacific sector (Canada Basin) of the Arctic Ocean by using vertical stratified zooplankton samples collected from 0-1,000 m or 0-1,500 m during daytime in summer. Abundance and biomass were high at the surface layer and decreased with increasing depth in both regions. Abundance and biomass in the surface layer in the Fram Strait were 6-18 times higher than those in the Canada Basin. According to cluster analysis, the copepod communities were separated into three groups that varied vertically and included both locations. Regional differences were marked for Calanus finmarchicus, which was distributed only in the Fram Strait. In the Canada Basin, Spinocalanidae composed 56.1% of calanoid copepod abundance for the bathypelagic groups and also contributed 7.5% of abundance throughout the water column. The dominance of Spinocalanidae may reflect the oligotrophic environment in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean.