Seasonal dynamics of mesozooplankton biomass over a sub-Arctic continental shelf.

ABSTRACT: Mesozooplankton research in high latitude ecosystems tends to focus on different life stages of Calanus spp. due to its biomass dominance and trophic roles. However, a complex seasonal succession of abundant smaller mesozooplankton taxa suggests that the ecological functioning of the mesozooplankton communities is more complicated. We studied the year-round taxon-specific biomass measurements and size distributions of mesozooplankton on a sub-Arctic continental shelf based on formalin preserved samples. Our results confirm that Calanus spp. dominate the mesozooplankton biomass (81%). We show that commonly used length-weight relationships underestimate Calanus biomass in autumn and winter, and accordingly, a strong seasonal bias was introduced in our understanding of su

SUBMITTER: Silberberger MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8258191 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature