Global zoogeography of fragile macrozooplankton in the upper 100-1000m inferred from the underwater video profiler
Mesopelagic gelatinous zooplankton fauna are insufficiently known because of inappropriate and infrequent sampling, but may haveimportant trophic roles. In situ imaging systems and undersea vehicles have been used to investigate their diversity, distribution, andabundance. The use of different platf...
| Published in: | ICES Journal of Marine Science |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2008
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/65/3/433 https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsn010 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/59518 |
| Summary: | Mesopelagic gelatinous zooplankton fauna are insufficiently known because of inappropriate and infrequent sampling, but may haveimportant trophic roles. In situ imaging systems and undersea vehicles have been used to investigate their diversity, distribution, andabundance. The use of different platforms, however, restricts the comparison of data from different regions. Starting in 2001, theunderwater video profiler (UVP) was deployed during 12 cruises in six oceanic regimes (Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic shelves,Mid-Atlantic Ridge, tropical Pacific Ocean, eastern Indian Ocean, and Subantarctic Ocean) to determine the vertical distributionof organisms in the upper 1000 m. Nine oceanic regions were identified based on the hydrological properties of the water column.They correspond to nine of the biogeochemical provinces defined by Longhurst. In all, 21 morphotypes were recognized: sarcodines(eight groups), ctenophores (two groups), siphonophores, medusae (five groups), crustaceans (one group), chaetognaths, appendicularians,salps, and fish. The similarity in the community assemblages of zooplankton in the 1001000 m layer was significantly greaterwithin regions than between regions, in most cases. The regions with comparable composition were located in the North Atlantic withadjacent water masses, suggesting that the assemblages were either mixed by advective transport or that environmental conditionswere similar in mesopelagic layers. The data suggest that the spatial structuring of mesopelagic macrozooplankton occurs on largescales (e.g. basin scales) but not necessarily on smaller scales (e.g. oceanic front). |
|---|