Factors affecting the seasonal distribution and biomass of E. pacifica and T. spinifera along the Pacific coast of Canada: A spatiotemporal modelling approach.

ABSTRACT: Euphausiids are a keystone species in coastal food webs due to their high lipid content and seasonally high biomass. Understanding the habitat and environmental drivers that lead to areas of high biomass, or 'hotspots', and their seasonal persistence, will support the identification of important foraging regions for mid- and upper- trophic level predators. We quantify the distribution of hotspots of the two dominant species of euphausiid in the north-east Pacific Ocean: Euphausia pacifica and Thysanoessa spinifera, as well as euphausiid larvae (mixed species). The Canadian coast encompasses the northern California Current Ecosystem and the transition zone to the Alaska current, and is a highly productive region for fisheries, marine mammals, and seabirds. We used spatiotemporal modelling t

SUBMITTER: Evans R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8121349 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature