Modelling the population dynamics of Antarctic krill : the timing of reproduction and the impact of climate change

• Main Author: Rackebrandt, Siri
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Life sciences; biology; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; Antarc*; Antarctic Krill; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://oops.uni-oldenburg.de/2892/; http://oops.uni-oldenburg.de/2892/1/racmod16.pdf

Antarctic krill is a shrimp-like crustacean that plays a crucial role in the Southern Ocean food web. Its life cycle is finely tuned to the strong seasonal changes in its environment. One aim of this thesis was to elucidate the role of a biological clock for the timing of the reproduction. For this purpose, a mathematical model was developed which describes the dynamics of juvenile and adult krill, two different food sources and one nutrient as well as their dependence on the environment. The second aim of this thesis was to analyze the impact of climate change on krill. Either krill has to adapt to changes in sea ice conditions or it might be forced to move to higher latitudes. The model results suggest that krill densities increase in both cases due to higher phytoplankton growth. Although the magnitude of increase in krill density has probably been overestimated, the model results suggest that the effect of climate change on krill might not be as negative as previously suggested.