Loss of buoyancy control in the copepod Calanus finmarchicus

A mechanism is demonstrated that could explain large-scale aggregations of lipid-rich copepods in the surface waters of marine environments. Laboratory experiments establish that changes in salinity and temperature induce lipid-mediated buoyancy instability that entrains copepods in surface waters....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Plankton Research
Main Authors: Cohen, Jonathan H, Last, Kim S, Waldie, Jack, Pond, David W
Other Authors: Natural Environment Research Council, NERC Natural Environment Research Council, Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotland, University of Delaware, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Institute of Aquaculture
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Oxford University Press 2019
Subjects:
salinity
temperature
pressure
lipid phase transition
depth regulation
Arctic
Calanus finmarchicus
Copepods
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1893/30553
https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbz036
http://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/30553/1/fbz036.pdf
Description
Summary:A mechanism is demonstrated that could explain large-scale aggregations of lipid-rich copepods in the surface waters of marine environments. Laboratory experiments establish that changes in salinity and temperature induce lipid-mediated buoyancy instability that entrains copepods in surface waters. Reduced hydrostatic pressure associated with forced ascent of copepods at fjordic sills, shelf breaks and seamounts would also reduce the density of the lipid reserves, forcing copepods and particularly those in diapause to the surface. We propose that salinity, temperature and hydrodynamics of the physical environment, in conjunction with the biophysical properties of lipids, explain periodic high abundances of lipid-rich copepods in surface waters.

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