The Size-Based Ecosystems of Warm and Cold-Core Eddies Off Eastern Australia
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The size-based ecosystems of warm and cold-core eddies off eastern Australia Peter Garside A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy at The University of New South Wales. School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science June 2020 Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname/Family Name : GARSIDE Given Name/s : Peter Jeffrey Abbreviation for degree as give in the University calendar : MPHIL Faculty : SCIENCE School : Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences Thesis Title : The size based ecosystems of warm and cold core eddies off eastern Australia Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) Mesoscale ocean eddies are commonly formed ocean habitats in the western Tasman Sea off the east coast of Australia. Ocean eddies form distinct ecosystems with elevated, or depleted productivity compared to the surrounding waters in a region that supports several ocean fisheries that are currently managed in real time by fisheries permits based on sea surface temperature and other satellite derived features that have been related to fish populations, but more details on the variable food-web parameters of ocean eddies would greatly benefit ecosystem based dynamic management strategies. I investigated two contrasting ocean eddies in the western Tasman Sea during September 2017, a cyclonic and anti-cyclonic eddy, using a size-based approach and stable isotope analysis of 15N, to identify a normalised biomass size-spectra (NBSS) and significant linear relationships between trophic level and body-size from primary producers to mesopelagic fishes. After correcting for differences in ẟ15N of Particular Organic Matter (POM, at the base of the food web), I derived estimates of predator prey mass ratios (PPMR), food-chain lengths (FCL), and trophic transfer efficiencies (TE) for each of the eddy food webs. The biological community within a cyclonic eddy had a higher enrichment of ẟ15N resulting in increased trophic level with body-size when compared to an anti-cyclonic eddy. This resulted in a PPMR that was 7.5 times larger in the cyclonic eddy, and a TE that was approximately half as efficient than the contrasting anti-cyclonic warm-core eddy. Comparisons of two warmer water in the northern Tasman Sea eddies, with two similar eddies in the cooler waters to the south showed that the northern eddies influenced by tropical waters and the EAC had PPMRs 2.5-3 times larger than the eddies with the same rotational direction in the Tasman Sea. Furthermore, estimated trophic transfer efficiencies of both anti-cyclonic eddies were approximately double that of the cyclonic eddy in the same region of the Tasman Sea. Food chains were longer in both anti-cyclonic eddies than in the cyclonic eddies, with greater transfer efficiencies corresponding to a smaller PPMR brought on by higher levels of predation and carnivory. Identifying patterns between habitat type and food-web dynamics such as predator-prey relationships and transfer efficiencies of biological communities in the Tasman Sea would provide additional information to improve upon current dynamic ecosystem-based ocean models and benefit fisheries management into the future. 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Publications can be used in their thesis in lieu of a Chapter if: • The candidate contributed greater than 50% of the content in the publication and is the “primary author”, ie. the candidate was responsible primarily for the planning, execution and preparation of the work for publication • The candidate has approval to include the publication in their thesis in lieu of a Chapter from their supervisor and Postgraduate Coordinator. • The publication is not subject to any obligations or contractual agreements with a third party that would constrain its inclusion in the thesis Please indicate whether this thesis contains published material or not: This thesis contains no publications, either published or submitted for publication ☒ (if this box is checked, you may delete all the material on page 2) Some of the work described in this thesis has been published and it has been documented in the relevant Chapters with acknowledgement ☐ (if this box is checked, you may delete all the material on page 2) This thesis has publications (either published or submitted for publication) ☐ incorporated into it in lieu of a chapter and the details are presented below CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION I declare that: • I have complied with the UNSW Thesis Examination Procedure • where I have used a publication in lieu of a Chapter, the listed publication(s) below meet(s) the requirements to be included in the thesis. Candidate’s Name Signature Date (dd/mm/yy) Peter Jeffrey Garside COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents a non-exclusive licence to archive and to make available (including to members of the public) my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known. I acknowledge that I retain all intellectual property rights which subsist in my thesis or dissertation, such as copyright and patent rights, subject to applicable law. I also retain the right to use all or part of my thesis or dissertation in future works (such as articles or books).’ ‘For any substantial portions of copyright material used in this thesis, written permission for use has been obtained, or the copyright material is removed from the final public version of the thesis.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date …………………………………………….............................. AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date …………………………………………….............................. ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed …………………………………………….............. Date …………………………………………….............. < PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK > Acknowledgements This research was supported by the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) Honours Scholarship Program. Thank you to my supervisor Iain Suthers for taking the chance and giving me this amazing opportunity. The patience, guidance and support will always be greatly appreciated. Also, I would like to acknowledge my other supervisors Debashish Mazumder and Jason Everett for the revisions, advice, and time they have put into this thesis with me. It was a longer journey than we expected but we made it in the end. Additionally, I want to acknowledge the huge help I received from Lian Kwong, Natasha Henschke, and Kieran Murphy who shared their wisdom, ideas, and findings from the eddies that we are investigating together. Also, Andrew Stewart, who helped guide my fish identification skills on board the Investigator, and Alan McLennan for making the introduction that started this whole journey. I am greatly appreciative of the hard-working researchers of the FAMER Lab at UNSW who answered questions, helped with technical expertise, and created a welcoming friendly environment. A special thanks to all of my friends who volunteered to help me on my project, all the research staff, crew, and friends I made on the RV Investigator in 2017 who made this whole project possible, and all of the staff that assisted me at ANSTO during my work there. i Abstract Mesoscale ocean eddies are commonly formed ocean habitats in the western Tasman Sea off the east coast of Australia. Ocean eddies form distinct ecosystems with elevated, or depleted productivity