The importance of Antarctic krill in biogeochemical cycles

Antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba ) are swarming, oceanic crustaceans, up to two inches long,and best known as prey for whales and penguins but they have another important role. Withtheir large size, high biomass and daily vertical migrations they transport and transformessential nutrients, stimul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature Communications
Main Authors: Cavan, EL, Belcher, A, Atkinson, A, Hill, SL, Kawaguchi, S, McCormack, S, Meyer, B, Nicol, S, Ratnarajah, L, Schmidt, K, Steinberg, DK, Tarling, GA, Boyd, PW
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2019
Subjects:
Biological Sciences
Ecology
Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Antarctic
Southern Ocean
Antarc*
Antarctic Krill
Euphausia superba
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12668-7
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31628346
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/150449
Description
Summary:Antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba ) are swarming, oceanic crustaceans, up to two inches long,and best known as prey for whales and penguins but they have another important role. Withtheir large size, high biomass and daily vertical migrations they transport and transformessential nutrients, stimulate primary productivity and influence the carbon sink. Antarctickrill are also fished by the Southern Oceans largest fishery. Yet how krill fishing impactsnutrient fertilisation and the carbon sink in the Southern Ocean is poorly understood. Oursynthesis shows fishery management should consider the influential biogeochemical role ofboth adult and larval Antarctic krill.

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