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Growth of larval krill, Euphausia superba, in fall and winter west of the Antarctic Peninsula

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Abstract

A quantitative characterization of growth-related parameters for larval and juvenile Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba (Dana), is essential to understanding the early life history of this key species in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. To this end, instantaneous growth rate experiments were conducted with larval and juvenile krill to determine growth increments and molting frequency in situ. All experiments were carried out during fall and winter months (April through September) on nine separate cruises west of the Antarctic Peninsula between 1987 and 1999. A consistent seasonal pattern across years was observed: growth rates decreased during fall (April/May), were minimal in early winter (June), and increased to maximum rates by late winter (September). Habitat-specific differences (water column vs under-ice) in growth rates of larvae collected on the same cruise were not observed in early winter (June 1993; within-year comparison). However, in a between-year comparison, larvae from the under-ice habitat (June/July 1987) had significantly higher growth increments than larvae from the open-water habitat (July 1989). The difference between these two comparisons may be a function of the degree of contrast in food availability in the water column and the sea ice at different times in the winter. Daylength at the time of collection explained 74% of the variation in larval and juvenile growth rates. This correlation may be an indirect effect of the influence of diel cycles on krill behavior and/or primary production in both the water column and ice.

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Acknowledgements

These experiments were conducted over an extended period of time. We wish to gratefully acknowledge the help of the many individuals on the nine research teams and the captains and crews of the research vessels during the fall and winter cruises. This study would have been impossible without their assistance. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under award nos. DPP-8518872, DPP-8820589, and OPP-9117633 (for the WinCruises), and award nos. OPP-9011927 and OPP-9632763, and by the Regents of the University of California and the University of California at Santa Barbara through the LTER cruises. This is Palmer LTER contribution no. 231. The experiments complied with the current laws of the USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA

    L. B. Quetin, R. M. Ross, C. Wyatt-Evens & S. A. Oakes

  2. Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32653, USA

    T. K. Frazer

  3. Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA

    M. O. Amsler

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  1. L. B. Quetin
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  2. R. M. Ross
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  3. T. K. Frazer
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  4. M. O. Amsler
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  5. C. Wyatt-Evens
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  6. S. A. Oakes
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Correspondence to L. B. Quetin.

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Communicated by J.P. Grassle, New Brunswick

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Quetin, L.B., Ross, R.M., Frazer, T.K. et al. Growth of larval krill, Euphausia superba, in fall and winter west of the Antarctic Peninsula. Marine Biology 143, 833–843 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-003-1130-8

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