Diel, Seasonal, and Interannual Patterns in Mesozooplankton Abundance in the Sargasso Sea
Temporal changes in mesozooplankton community structure are influenced by a combination of environmental factors. Epipelagic mesozooplankton biomass in the Sargasso Sea has increased over the last two decades, with a related increase in zooplankton-mediated carbon export. Unknown, however, are the p...
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ftwilliammarycol:oai:scholarworks.wm.edu:etd-3094 2023-06-11T04:15:43+02:00 Diel, Seasonal, and Interannual Patterns in Mesozooplankton Abundance in the Sargasso Sea Ivory, Jami Alora 2015-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539617964 https://doi.org/10.25773/v5-5fb1-wh73 https://scholarworks.wm.edu/context/etd/article/3094/viewcontent/10632148.pdf English eng W&M ScholarWorks https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539617964 doi:doi:10.25773/v5-5fb1-wh73 https://scholarworks.wm.edu/context/etd/article/3094/viewcontent/10632148.pdf © The Author Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Marine Biology Oceanography text 2015 ftwilliammarycol https://doi.org/10.25773/v5-5fb1-wh73 2023-05-04T17:39:41Z Temporal changes in mesozooplankton community structure are influenced by a combination of environmental factors. Epipelagic mesozooplankton biomass in the Sargasso Sea has increased over the last two decades, with a related increase in zooplankton-mediated carbon export. Unknown, however, are the patterns and variability at different temporal scales (diel, seasonal, and interannual) in abundance of each major zooplankton taxon, and how these patterns relate to physical and other environmental changes. I enumerated major taxa of mesozooplankton collected from monthly day and night net tows in the epipelagic zone at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site in the Sargasso Sea from 1999 to 2010. Abundances of each taxon were determined using a ZooScan optical imaging system and microscopy. Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) were used to determine what environmental parameters best explain abundance of major taxa. I used annual averages to determine broader patterns. Zooplankton taxa with the most pronounced diel vertical migration (i.e., night:day ratio, N:D, » 1 ) included euphausiids (N:D=1.9), Limacina spp. pteropods (1.5), and other thecosome (shelled) pteropods (1.6). Taxa with a pronounced spring abundance peak included euphausiids, larvaceans, and Limacina spp., while harpacticoid copepods peaked in late summer, and calanoid copepods in both spring and summer. There is some evidence of changes in phenology occurring in calanoid copepods and chaetognaths that exhibited spring abundance peaks on average 1-month earlier than reported for the same taxa in the early 1960’s. Many taxa, including all copepod taxa, exhibited a period of highest abundance increase in 2003, coinciding with a 2003 April diatom bloom and the largest primary production peak (April 2003) in the time series. There was also indication of a long-term increase in calanoid and oncaeid copepod abundance. Sub-decadal-scale climate oscillations, long term warming, and ocean acidification may be driving decreases in larvaceans, Limacina ... Text Ocean acidification Copepods W&M ScholarWorks |
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Open Polar |
collection |
W&M ScholarWorks |
op_collection_id |
ftwilliammarycol |
language |
English |
topic |
Marine Biology Oceanography |
spellingShingle |
Marine Biology Oceanography Ivory, Jami Alora Diel, Seasonal, and Interannual Patterns in Mesozooplankton Abundance in the Sargasso Sea |
topic_facet |
Marine Biology Oceanography |
description |
Temporal changes in mesozooplankton community structure are influenced by a combination of environmental factors. Epipelagic mesozooplankton biomass in the Sargasso Sea has increased over the last two decades, with a related increase in zooplankton-mediated carbon export. Unknown, however, are the patterns and variability at different temporal scales (diel, seasonal, and interannual) in abundance of each major zooplankton taxon, and how these patterns relate to physical and other environmental changes. I enumerated major taxa of mesozooplankton collected from monthly day and night net tows in the epipelagic zone at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site in the Sargasso Sea from 1999 to 2010. Abundances of each taxon were determined using a ZooScan optical imaging system and microscopy. Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) were used to determine what environmental parameters best explain abundance of major taxa. I used annual averages to determine broader patterns. Zooplankton taxa with the most pronounced diel vertical migration (i.e., night:day ratio, N:D, » 1 ) included euphausiids (N:D=1.9), Limacina spp. pteropods (1.5), and other thecosome (shelled) pteropods (1.6). Taxa with a pronounced spring abundance peak included euphausiids, larvaceans, and Limacina spp., while harpacticoid copepods peaked in late summer, and calanoid copepods in both spring and summer. There is some evidence of changes in phenology occurring in calanoid copepods and chaetognaths that exhibited spring abundance peaks on average 1-month earlier than reported for the same taxa in the early 1960’s. Many taxa, including all copepod taxa, exhibited a period of highest abundance increase in 2003, coinciding with a 2003 April diatom bloom and the largest primary production peak (April 2003) in the time series. There was also indication of a long-term increase in calanoid and oncaeid copepod abundance. Sub-decadal-scale climate oscillations, long term warming, and ocean acidification may be driving decreases in larvaceans, Limacina ... |
format |
Text |
author |
Ivory, Jami Alora |
author_facet |
Ivory, Jami Alora |
author_sort |
Ivory, Jami Alora |
title |
Diel, Seasonal, and Interannual Patterns in Mesozooplankton Abundance in the Sargasso Sea |
title_short |
Diel, Seasonal, and Interannual Patterns in Mesozooplankton Abundance in the Sargasso Sea |
title_full |
Diel, Seasonal, and Interannual Patterns in Mesozooplankton Abundance in the Sargasso Sea |
title_fullStr |
Diel, Seasonal, and Interannual Patterns in Mesozooplankton Abundance in the Sargasso Sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Diel, Seasonal, and Interannual Patterns in Mesozooplankton Abundance in the Sargasso Sea |
title_sort |
diel, seasonal, and interannual patterns in mesozooplankton abundance in the sargasso sea |
publisher |
W&M ScholarWorks |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539617964 https://doi.org/10.25773/v5-5fb1-wh73 https://scholarworks.wm.edu/context/etd/article/3094/viewcontent/10632148.pdf |
genre |
Ocean acidification Copepods |
genre_facet |
Ocean acidification Copepods |
op_source |
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects |
op_relation |
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539617964 doi:doi:10.25773/v5-5fb1-wh73 https://scholarworks.wm.edu/context/etd/article/3094/viewcontent/10632148.pdf |
op_rights |
© The Author |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.25773/v5-5fb1-wh73 |
_version_ |
1768372744580235264 |