Regional and Seasonal Variability in the Vertical Distribution of Mesozooplankton in the Greenland Sea
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Regional and seasonal variability in the vertical distribution of mesozooplankton in the Greenland Sea Claudio Richter Ber. Polarforsch. 154 (1 994) ISSN 0176 - 5027 Claudio Richter Institut fŸ PolarökologieChristian-Albrechts-Universitä zu Kiel WischhofstraGe 1-3, Gebäud12 D-24148 Kiel Druckfassung einer Dissertation, die der Mathernatisch- Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultä der Ckristian-Albrechts-Universitä zu Kiel vorgelegt wurde. Printed version of a Pk. D. thesis subrnitted to the Faculty of Matherna fics und Natural Sciences of the Uniuersity of Kiel. Table of contents Page ... Summary ..............................................................................................................................................m 1 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................i 2 Study area ..............................................................................................................................................3 Bathymetry ...............................................................................................................................................3 Circulation ................................................................................................................................................3 Water masses .............................................................................................................................................3 Water exchange .........................................................................................................................................5 Ice cover ....................................................................................................................................................5 Summary ..................................................................................................................................................5 3 Material and methods ........................................................................................................................7 Sampling and sample processing ...............................................................................................................7 Image analysis .........................................................................................................................................10 Biomass calculation .................................................................................................................................11 Statistical analysis .................................................................................................................................... 11 4 Results ..................................................................................................................................................13 4.1 General overview .................................................................................................................................... 13 Species number and diversity ..................................................................................................................13 Total zooplankton ...................................................................................................................................16 Mein vertical distribution of abundance and biomass .............................................................................17 Vertical distributions of abundance and biomass .....................................................................................19 Relative composition of zooPlankton abundance and biomass ................................................................ 21 Horizontal and vertical distribution patterns of abundance .....................................................................24 4.2 Community structure .............................................................................................................................27 4.3 Selected species ....................................................................................................................................... 31 Numerical dominants (Cylopoida and small Calanoida) ......................................................................... 31 Oithona ................................................................................................................................................... 31 Interpretation .......................................................................................................................................... 35 Oncaea .................................................................................................................................................... 35 Interpretation ..........................................................................................................................................37 Pseudocalanus minutus .............................................................................................................................39 Interpretation ..........................................................................................................................................42 Biomass dominants (large Calanoida) .....................................................................................................42 Calanus hyperboreus................................................................................................................................. 42 Interpretation .......................................................................................................................................... 48 Calanusjnmarchicus ............................................................................................................................... 49 Metridia longa ......................................................................................................................................... 52 Meso- and bathypelagic Copepoda (Aetideidae) ......................................................................................54 Other important biomass contributors (Chaetognatha, Ostracoda) ......................................................... 58 Eukrohnia sp ...........................................................................................................................................58 Boroecia borealis ....................................................................................................................................... 61 5 Discussion ........................................................................................................................................... 67 5.1 Methodical constraints ............................................................................................................................ 67 Sampling design and equipment .............................................................................................................67 Biomass caiculations ...............................................................................................................................69 5.2 Species composition and diversity ........................................................................................................... 69 5.3 Biomass ..................................................................................................................................................72 5.4 Life histories of selected taxa in relation to the seasonal production cycle ................................................ 75 in ehe Greenland Sea 6 References ...........................................................................................................................................81 Acknowledgements Summary A large-scale regional and seasonal zooplankton investigation was carried out in the Greenland Sea covering the entire water column down to 3000 m depth. It focussed on the cornposition and vertical distribution of zooplankton in relation to the hydrographic rigirne (i) and in Course of time (ii). Sampling was carried out with vertical Multinet hauls (150 um mesh) in nine depth Strata: 3000 (or sea floor)-2000-1500-1000-500-400-300- 200-100-0 m. (i) The regional study comprised a transect along 75ON in November 1988, occupying one station in the Atlantic domain of the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) and three stations in the arctic dornain of the Greenland Sea Gyre (GSG). The WSC station showed a low number of individuals and species and a relatively even distribution of individuals arnong species. Cakznus finmarchicus (Calanoida, Copepoda) dorninated in abundance (40%) and biomass (55%). Within the GSG, Oithona (Cyclopoida, Copepoda) was numerically dominant (38%-58%) and Cakznus hyperboreus in terms of biornass (35%). Biornass varied only little along the transect (13±g DWsKm-2). Highest numbers of individuals were found in the upper 500 m, while a large fraction of the biomass was located below. (ii) The seasonal study encornpassed six stations in the GSG, revisited in late fall, winter, early and late surnrner of 1988189 and spring of 1993. Species cornposition remained fairly constant throughout the investigation period, around 48 species, with Oithona dominating in abundance (53%) and C. hyperboreus in biornass (32%). Integrated abundance varied by a factor of 2.5, with rnaxirnum values in June (7.4*105 Integated biomass was high (14 g DW m-2) and remarkably constant, varying by a factor of 1.5 between die winter minimum and