Made Over a Two Year Period at Stations 15, 25, 50, and 65 Nautical Miles Off Newport, Oregon, Were Examined.Nineteen Species Were Identified
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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Harriet Ann Van Arsdale for the M. S. (Name) (Degree) -- J - - in Oceanography presented on /'-j '- (Major) ,kD'ate) Title:The Distribution of Hyperiid Amphipods off the Oregon Coast Redacted for Privacy Abstract approved William G. Pearcy Hyperiid amphipods from one-meter plankton net collections made over a two year period at stations 15, 25, 50, and 65 nautical miles off Newport, Oregon, were examined.Nineteen species were identified. The occurrence of some species off Oregon significantly extended the known geographic ranges.To my knowledge Scina crassicornis burmudensis and Tryphana malmi have not been previously recorded in the North Pacific.Streetsia challengeri, Hyperia hystrix, Lycaea pulex, Qçycephalus clausi, Cystisoma fabricii, and Lanceola loveni have not been reported north of California in the eastern Pacific. The frequency of occurrence of Parathemisto pacifica, Para- phronima graci1is, Hyperia hystrix, Tryphana malmi, and Primno abyssalis generally increased with distance from shore.Average abundance of these species ias usually maximal 50 miles offshore and decreased inshore and farther offshore. Inshore, the largest total catches of hyperiids occurred during the winter, a period when the movement of water was onshore and the heat content was relatively high.Lowest catches and lowest species diversity were found inshore during the summer when upwel- ling caused offshore movement of surface water.Amphipod catches were compared to the proportion of Subarctic water present,but no consistent relationship was apparent. Vertical distributions of common species were examined. Although catches sometimes varied with depth, evidence for vertical migration was inconclusive. The Distribution of Hyperiid Amphipods Off the Oregon Coast by Harriet Arm Van Arsdale A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science June 1967 APPROVED: Redacted for Privacy Associate Professor ofOceanographK En Charge of Major Redacted for Privacy Chairman of Department ofOceanography Redacted for Privacy Dean o Graduate School Date thesis is presented 't21( A9//i Typed by Marcia Ten Fyck for HarrietAnn Van Arsdale ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Throughout this study many individuals have given assistance and encouragement for which I am grateful.I want to thank the National Science Foundation (Grant No. GB-1588) for research assistance that was administered by Dr. William G. Pearcy. I particularly want to thank Dr. Pearcy for his assistance, recom- mendations, and encouragement throughout this study. It is a pleasure to acknowledge Dr. Thomas F. Bowman ofthe Smithsonian Institution.His valuable assistance in recommendation of literature and confirmation of species identifications isgratefully appreciated. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 METHODS AND MATERIALS 2 RESULTS 5 Species Composition 5 Variability of Catches 5 Frequency of Occurrence and Average Abundance of Common Species 12 Seasonal Variation of Common Species 13 Vertical and Diel Variations in Catches of Common Species 16 DISCUSSION 19 CONCLUSIONS 29 BIBLIOGRAPHY 31 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Station locations of collections made off Newport, Oregon. 3 2 The previously reported localities in the North Pacific of hyperiid amphipods discussed in this study. 10 3 The frequency of occurrence and the average abun- dance of six common species at four stations off Newport, Oregon, from June 1963 to June 1965. 14 4 (a) Seasonal variation of percent Subarctic water 25 miles off Newport, Oregon, from June 1963 to June 1965 between 100 and 200 m.(b) Species composition of monthly catches of hyperiid amphi- pods and heat content (solid line) in kilocalories percm2 for 100 m depth. Blanks indicate no hyperiids were present. 21 5 (a) Seasonal variation of percent Subarctic water 50 miles off Newport, Oregon, from June 1963 to June 1965 between 100 and 600 m.(b) Species composition of monthly catches of hyperiid amphi- pods and heat content (solid line) in kilocalories per cm2 for 100 m depth. Blanks indicate no hyperiid were present. 23 6 (a) Seasonal variation of percent Subarctic water 65 miles off Newport, Oregon, from June 1963 to June 1965 between 100 and 600 m.(b) Species composition of monthly catches of hyperiid amphi- pods and heat content (solid line) in kilocalories percm2 for 100m depth. Blanks indicate no hyperiids were present. 25 LIST OF TABLES Table Page The Previously Reported Localities in the North Pacific of 19 Species of Hyperiid Amphipods and Their Total Numbers and Frequency of Occur- rence off Oregon in This Study. 6 2 The Means, Standard Deviations, and Coefficients of Dispersion (Level of Significance2. 58) of Individual Species from Five Replicated Vertical Meter Net Collections Taken 50 Miles off Newport, Oregon. 11 3 The Average Abundance per 1000 m3 of Common Species From Inshore and Offshore Stations off Newport, Oregon, During Four Seasons from June 1963 to June 1965. 15 4 Vertical Distribution and Diel Differences of Common Species of Hyperiid Amphipods from 68 Collections 50 Miles off Newport, Oregon. 18 THE DISTRIBUTION OF HYPFRIID AMPHIPODS OFF THE OREGON COAST INTRODUCTION Amphipods of the family Hyperiidae are planktonic throughout their existence.They may be important members of the zooplankton community (King and Hida, 1957; McAllister, 1961; Grainger, 1962; King and Iversen, 1962; Raymont, 1963).Amphipods are also im- portant food sources for oceanic fishes (McAllister, 1961; Aron, 1962; Iversen, 1962; LeBrasseur, 1966). Bovallius (1887a) was probably one of the first to compile a systematic list of the Amphipoda Hyperiidea.Stebbing (1888) re- ported on the amphipods collected by the Challenger Expedition from 18 73-76. In the northeast Pacific, Thorsteinson (1941) reported new species of hyperiids from Nanaimo, British Columbia, and the Gulf of Alaska.The most recent study on the pelagic hyperiid amphipods from the northeastern Pacific was by Bowman (1953).His material was collected from the Columbia River (ca.46° l5'N, 124° W) to Punta Eugenia, Baja, California (ca.27° O8TN, 115° lOW) 40 to 400 miles offshore, and 0 to 140 m in depth.He also examined collec- tions from the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas. This report describes the abundance, distribution, and seasonal 440 occurrence of hyperiid amphipods off Newport, Oregon (ca. 39'N, 124° 3'W) from June 1963 to June 1965. 2 METHODS AND MATERIALS Collections were made off Newport, Oregon, using vertical and oblique one-meter plankton net tows.All nets had a mesh aperture of.571 mm. A Tsurumi flow meter in the net opening provided estimates of the volumes of water filtered. Collections made from June 1963 to June 1965 at stations 15, 25, 50 and 65 nautical miles offshore were examined (Figure 1). Before January 1964, 18 oblique tows were made with a net eight to nine meters in length, towed four to six knots, descending at 50 m per minute and ascending at 30 m per minute.After January 1964 all tows were vertical, using a net four meters in length, descending at 50 m per minute and ascending at 30 m per minute.All oblique and vertical collections were taken at night to a depth of 200 m (depth permitting).A total of 58 collections was made. Sixty-eight special collections made 50 miles offshore during both day and night were also examined.These collections were taken with tandem close-open-close meter nets that were actuated by pressure-activated wire cutters (Yentsch, Grice, and Hart, 1962). The tandem nets, towed obliquely, sampled the approximate depth intervals of 0 to 150 m, 150 to 250 m, 150 to 450 m, 450 to 600 m, 450 to 1000 m, and 600 to 1000 m.Only the 0 to 150 m and 150 to 450 m intervals were examined for hyperiids. I I WASH. .ASTOø 40 6550 2515 ; I I WPORT 440 I 009 BAY -430 0 29 - NAUTICAL MILES - kRooKuios ORE :. CAL.. Figure 1.Station locations of collections made off Newport, Oregon. 4 Samples were preserved in 10% formalin aboard ship.In the laboratory hyperiid amphipods were sorted from the whole sample if they numbered less than 200.If they were more numerous, the whole sample was divided by a Folsom Plankton Splitter (McEwen, Johnson, and Folsom, 1954) until about 200 hyperiids remained in the aliquot. The abundance of each species was determined by relating the number observed in each sample to the volume of water filtered. 5 RESULTS Species Composition A total of 19 species of hyperiid amphipods werecollected off Newport, Oregon.They are listed in Table 1 along with previously reported localities in the North Pacific.Also listed for each species are the total number collected offOregon, and the frequency of occurrence (percentage of collections inwhich the species was found). The previously reported localities of each species inthe North Pacific are shown in Figure 2.To my knowledge Scina crassicornis burmudensis and Tryphana mairni have not been previouslyreported in the North Pacific.Streetsia challengeri, Hyperiaystrix, Oxycephalus clausi, Cystisoma fabricii, and Lanceola lovenihave not been reported from the eastern Pacific.Lycaea pulex has not been reported north of about33° 30'N. Variability of Catches Five replicate vertical meter net tows, made 50 milesoff New- port, Oregon, were studied to show sampling variability.The means standard deviations, and coefficients of disperson of individual species are listed in Table 2.Catches of each species were low; some species were frequently absent from the collections.The coefficients 6 Table 1.The Previously Reported Localities in the North Pacific of 19 Species of Hyperiid Amphi- pods and Their Total Numbers and Frequency of Occurrence off Oregon in ThisStudy. TotaL NumberPrequency of Previously Report1 Localities Collected off Occurrence (%) Species in the North Pacific Oregon off Oregon Parathernisto pacifica Between Japan and the Sandwich Islands 4260 51 Stebbing, 1888 35° 20'N, 153° 39'E (Stebbing, 1888). Subartic water from about 500 N, 170° E (Bowman, 1960). Iraphronima gracilis Northern temperate and tropical regions 2696 44 Claus, 1879 (Bovallius, 188Th).36° 42'N, 179° SOW; 36° 23'N, 1740 31.'E; 350 41'N, 157° 42'E; Api (New Hebrides 23° N, 168° E) to Cape York (North Australia 9.