Baseline data of growth, feeding, lipid content and maturity analysis in Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, during long-term photoperiodic controlled lab experiments

• Main Authors: Höring, Flavia, Teschke, Mathias, Suberg, Lavinia, Kawaguchi, So, Meyer, Bettina
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2018
• Subjects: Carapax; dry mass; Carapax length; Comment; DATE/TIME; Digestive gland length; Euphausia superba; maturity score; relative digestive gland length to carapax length; Experiment duration; Lipids; Maturity score after Brown et al. (2010; 2011); Method comment; Photoperiod; hours of daylight; Sample code/label; Sex; Treatment; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; Antarc*; Antarctic Krill
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.885889; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.885889

Light regime is an important Zeitgeber for Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), which seems to entrain an endogenous timing system that synchronizes its life cycle to the extreme light conditions in the Southern Ocean. To understand the flexibility of Antarctic krill's seasonal cycle, we investigated its physiological and behavioural response to different light regimes and if an endogenous timing system was involved in the regulation of these seasonal processes. We analysed growth, feeding, lipid content and maturity in a two-year lab experiment simulating the latitudinal light regimes 52°S, 66°S and constant darkness under constant food level. Our results showed that light regime affected seasonal cycles of growth, lipid metabolism and maturity in Antarctic krill. Seasonal patterns of growth and maturity persisted under constant darkness indicating the presence of an endogenous timing system. The maturity cycle showed differences in development and critical photoperiods according to the simulated light regime. This suggests a flexible endogenous timing mechanism in Antarctic krill, which may determine its response to future environmental changes.