Moonlight drives ocean-scale mass vertical migration of zooplankton during the Arctic winter
In extreme high-latitude marine environments that are without solar illumination in winter, light-mediated patterns of biological migration have historically been considered non-existent [1]. However, diel vertical migration (DVM) of zooplankton has been shown to occur even during the darkest part o...
Published in: | Current Biology |
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Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2016
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Online Access: | https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/moonlight-drives-oceanscale-mass-vertical-migration-of-zooplankton-during-the-arctic-winter(9a091e58-a006-41d8-a499-3d9327cafdfd).html https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.038 https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/8116/1/Brierley_2016_CB_Moonlight_CC.pdf |
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ftunstandrewcris:oai:research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk:publications/9a091e58-a006-41d8-a499-3d9327cafdfd 2024-06-23T07:48:22+00:00 Moonlight drives ocean-scale mass vertical migration of zooplankton during the Arctic winter Last, Kim S. Hobbs, Laura Berge, Jørgen Brierley, Andrew Stuart Cottier, Finlo 2016-01-25 application/pdf https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/moonlight-drives-oceanscale-mass-vertical-migration-of-zooplankton-during-the-arctic-winter(9a091e58-a006-41d8-a499-3d9327cafdfd).html https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.038 https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/8116/1/Brierley_2016_CB_Moonlight_CC.pdf eng eng https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/moonlight-drives-oceanscale-mass-vertical-migration-of-zooplankton-during-the-arctic-winter(9a091e58-a006-41d8-a499-3d9327cafdfd).html info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Last , K S , Hobbs , L , Berge , J , Brierley , A S & Cottier , F 2016 , ' Moonlight drives ocean-scale mass vertical migration of zooplankton during the Arctic winter ' , Current Biology , vol. 26 , no. 2 , pp. 244-251 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.038 article 2016 ftunstandrewcris https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.038 2024-06-13T00:49:49Z In extreme high-latitude marine environments that are without solar illumination in winter, light-mediated patterns of biological migration have historically been considered non-existent [1]. However, diel vertical migration (DVM) of zooplankton has been shown to occur even during the darkest part of the polar night, when illumination levels are exceptionally low [2 and 3]. This paradox is, as yet, unexplained. Here, we present evidence of an unexpected uniform behavior across the entire Arctic, in fjord, shelf, slope and open sea, where vertical migrations of zooplankton are driven by lunar illumination. A shift from solar-day (24-hr period) to lunar-day (24.8-hr period) vertical migration takes place in winter when the moon rises above the horizon. Further, mass sinking of zooplankton from the surface waters and accumulation at a depth of ∼50 m occurs every 29.5 days in winter, coincident with the periods of full moon. Moonlight may enable predation of zooplankton by carnivorous zooplankters, fish, and birds now known to feed during the polar night [4]. Although primary production is almost nil at this time, lunar vertical migration (LVM) may facilitate monthly pulses of carbon remineralization, as they occur continuously in illuminated mesopelagic systems [5], due to community respiration of carnivorous and detritivorous zooplankton. The extent of LVM during the winter suggests that the behavior is highly conserved and adaptive and therefore needs to be considered as “baseline” zooplankton activity in a changing Arctic ocean [6, 7, 8 and 9]. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Arctic Ocean polar night Zooplankton University of St Andrews: Research Portal Arctic Arctic Ocean Current Biology 26 2 244 251 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
University of St Andrews: Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftunstandrewcris |
language |
English |
description |
In extreme high-latitude marine environments that are without solar illumination in winter, light-mediated patterns of biological migration have historically been considered non-existent [1]. However, diel vertical migration (DVM) of zooplankton has been shown to occur even during the darkest part of the polar night, when illumination levels are exceptionally low [2 and 3]. This paradox is, as yet, unexplained. Here, we present evidence of an unexpected uniform behavior across the entire Arctic, in fjord, shelf, slope and open sea, where vertical migrations of zooplankton are driven by lunar illumination. A shift from solar-day (24-hr period) to lunar-day (24.8-hr period) vertical migration takes place in winter when the moon rises above the horizon. Further, mass sinking of zooplankton from the surface waters and accumulation at a depth of ∼50 m occurs every 29.5 days in winter, coincident with the periods of full moon. Moonlight may enable predation of zooplankton by carnivorous zooplankters, fish, and birds now known to feed during the polar night [4]. Although primary production is almost nil at this time, lunar vertical migration (LVM) may facilitate monthly pulses of carbon remineralization, as they occur continuously in illuminated mesopelagic systems [5], due to community respiration of carnivorous and detritivorous zooplankton. The extent of LVM during the winter suggests that the behavior is highly conserved and adaptive and therefore needs to be considered as “baseline” zooplankton activity in a changing Arctic ocean [6, 7, 8 and 9]. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Last, Kim S. Hobbs, Laura Berge, Jørgen Brierley, Andrew Stuart Cottier, Finlo |
spellingShingle |
Last, Kim S. Hobbs, Laura Berge, Jørgen Brierley, Andrew Stuart Cottier, Finlo Moonlight drives ocean-scale mass vertical migration of zooplankton during the Arctic winter |
author_facet |
Last, Kim S. Hobbs, Laura Berge, Jørgen Brierley, Andrew Stuart Cottier, Finlo |
author_sort |
Last, Kim S. |
title |
Moonlight drives ocean-scale mass vertical migration of zooplankton during the Arctic winter |
title_short |
Moonlight drives ocean-scale mass vertical migration of zooplankton during the Arctic winter |
title_full |
Moonlight drives ocean-scale mass vertical migration of zooplankton during the Arctic winter |
title_fullStr |
Moonlight drives ocean-scale mass vertical migration of zooplankton during the Arctic winter |
title_full_unstemmed |
Moonlight drives ocean-scale mass vertical migration of zooplankton during the Arctic winter |
title_sort |
moonlight drives ocean-scale mass vertical migration of zooplankton during the arctic winter |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/moonlight-drives-oceanscale-mass-vertical-migration-of-zooplankton-during-the-arctic-winter(9a091e58-a006-41d8-a499-3d9327cafdfd).html https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.038 https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/8116/1/Brierley_2016_CB_Moonlight_CC.pdf |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Arctic Ocean polar night Zooplankton |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Arctic Ocean polar night Zooplankton |
op_source |
Last , K S , Hobbs , L , Berge , J , Brierley , A S & Cottier , F 2016 , ' Moonlight drives ocean-scale mass vertical migration of zooplankton during the Arctic winter ' , Current Biology , vol. 26 , no. 2 , pp. 244-251 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.038 |
op_relation |
https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/moonlight-drives-oceanscale-mass-vertical-migration-of-zooplankton-during-the-arctic-winter(9a091e58-a006-41d8-a499-3d9327cafdfd).html |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.038 |
container_title |
Current Biology |
container_volume |
26 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
244 |
op_container_end_page |
251 |
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