Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring
The faecal pellets (FP) of zooplankton can be important vehicles for the transfer of particulate organic carbon (POC) to the deep ocean, often making large contributions to carbon sequestration. However, the routes by which these FP reach the deep ocean have yet to be fully resolved. We address this...
Published in: | Biogeosciences |
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2017
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/1/bg-14-1511-2017.pdf https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/2/bg-14-1511-2017-supplement.pdf http://www.biogeosciences.net/14/1511/2017/ |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:516582 2023-05-15T18:16:01+02:00 Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring Belcher, Anna Manno, Clara Ward, Pete Henson, Stephanie Sanders, Richard Tarling, Geraint 2017-03-24 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/1/bg-14-1511-2017.pdf https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/2/bg-14-1511-2017-supplement.pdf http://www.biogeosciences.net/14/1511/2017/ en eng https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/1/bg-14-1511-2017.pdf https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/2/bg-14-1511-2017-supplement.pdf Belcher, Anna orcid:0000-0002-9583-5910 Manno, Clara orcid:0000-0002-3337-6173 Ward, Pete; Henson, Stephanie orcid:0000-0002-3875-6802 Sanders, Richard orcid:0000-0002-6884-7131 Tarling, Geraint orcid:0000-0002-3753-5899 . 2017 Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring. Biogeosciences, 14 (6). 1511-1525. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1511-2017 <https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1511-2017> cc_by CC-BY Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2017 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1511-2017 2023-02-04T19:44:39Z The faecal pellets (FP) of zooplankton can be important vehicles for the transfer of particulate organic carbon (POC) to the deep ocean, often making large contributions to carbon sequestration. However, the routes by which these FP reach the deep ocean have yet to be fully resolved. We address this by comparing estimates of FP production to measurements of FP size, shape and number in the upper mesopelagic (175–205 m), using Marine Snow Catchers, and in the bathypelagic, using sediment traps (1,500–2,000 m). The study is focussed on the Scotia Sea, which contains some of the most productive regions in the Southern Ocean, where epipelagic FP production is likely to be high. We found that, although the size distribution of zooplankton suggests that high numbers of small FP are produced in the epipelagic, small FP are rare in the deeper layers, implying that they are not transferred efficiently to depth. Consequently, small FP make only a minor contribution to FP fluxes in the meso- and bathypelagic, particularly in terms of carbon. The dominant FP in the upper mesopelagic were cylindrical and elliptical, while ovoid FP were dominant in the bathypelagic. The change in FP morphology, as well as size distribution, points to the repacking of surface FP in the mesopelagic and in situ production in the lower meso- and bathypelagic, augmented by inputs of FP via zooplankton vertical migrations. The flux of carbon to the deeper layers within the Southern Ocean is therefore strongly modulated by meso- and bathypelagic zooplankton, meaning that the community structure in these zones has a major impact on the efficiency of FP transfer to depth. Article in Journal/Newspaper Scotia Sea Southern Ocean Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Southern Ocean Scotia Sea Biogeosciences 14 6 1511 1525 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
The faecal pellets (FP) of zooplankton can be important vehicles for the transfer of particulate organic carbon (POC) to the deep ocean, often making large contributions to carbon sequestration. However, the routes by which these FP reach the deep ocean have yet to be fully resolved. We address this by comparing estimates of FP production to measurements of FP size, shape and number in the upper mesopelagic (175–205 m), using Marine Snow Catchers, and in the bathypelagic, using sediment traps (1,500–2,000 m). The study is focussed on the Scotia Sea, which contains some of the most productive regions in the Southern Ocean, where epipelagic FP production is likely to be high. We found that, although the size distribution of zooplankton suggests that high numbers of small FP are produced in the epipelagic, small FP are rare in the deeper layers, implying that they are not transferred efficiently to depth. Consequently, small FP make only a minor contribution to FP fluxes in the meso- and bathypelagic, particularly in terms of carbon. The dominant FP in the upper mesopelagic were cylindrical and elliptical, while ovoid FP were dominant in the bathypelagic. The change in FP morphology, as well as size distribution, points to the repacking of surface FP in the mesopelagic and in situ production in the lower meso- and bathypelagic, augmented by inputs of FP via zooplankton vertical migrations. The flux of carbon to the deeper layers within the Southern Ocean is therefore strongly modulated by meso- and bathypelagic zooplankton, meaning that the community structure in these zones has a major impact on the efficiency of FP transfer to depth. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Belcher, Anna Manno, Clara Ward, Pete Henson, Stephanie Sanders, Richard Tarling, Geraint |
spellingShingle |
Belcher, Anna Manno, Clara Ward, Pete Henson, Stephanie Sanders, Richard Tarling, Geraint Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring |
author_facet |
Belcher, Anna Manno, Clara Ward, Pete Henson, Stephanie Sanders, Richard Tarling, Geraint |
author_sort |
Belcher, Anna |
title |
Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring |
title_short |
Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring |
title_full |
Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring |
title_fullStr |
Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring |
title_full_unstemmed |
Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring |
title_sort |
copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the southern ocean in spring |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/1/bg-14-1511-2017.pdf https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/2/bg-14-1511-2017-supplement.pdf http://www.biogeosciences.net/14/1511/2017/ |
geographic |
Southern Ocean Scotia Sea |
geographic_facet |
Southern Ocean Scotia Sea |
genre |
Scotia Sea Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Scotia Sea Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/1/bg-14-1511-2017.pdf https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516582/2/bg-14-1511-2017-supplement.pdf Belcher, Anna orcid:0000-0002-9583-5910 Manno, Clara orcid:0000-0002-3337-6173 Ward, Pete; Henson, Stephanie orcid:0000-0002-3875-6802 Sanders, Richard orcid:0000-0002-6884-7131 Tarling, Geraint orcid:0000-0002-3753-5899 . 2017 Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring. Biogeosciences, 14 (6). 1511-1525. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1511-2017 <https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1511-2017> |
op_rights |
cc_by |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1511-2017 |
container_title |
Biogeosciences |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
1511 |
op_container_end_page |
1525 |
_version_ |
1766189427381501952 |