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Distribution and abundance of micronekton and macrozooplankton in the NW Weddell Sea: relation to a spring ice-edge bloom

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Abstract

Micronekton and macrozooplankton were collected during the austral spring of 1993 in the NW Weddell Sea. Sampling was done in three areas of the marginal ice zone: pack ice, ice edge, and open water, to examine the short-term effects of the spring phytoplankton bloom on the distribution and abundance of dominant fish and invertebrate species. Significant differences were observed for several common species, including Salpa thompsoni,Euphausia superba, Electrona antarctica, Gymnoscopelus braueri,and G. opisthopterus. Increased abundance seaward of the pack ice for these species is attributed to elevated phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass at the ice edge and in the open water areas. Distribution of the hyperiid amphipods, Cyllopus lucasii and Vibilia stebbingi mirrored that of S. thompsoni. No distributional trends between the areas were observed for Thysanoessa macrura, the amphipods Cyphocaris richardi and Primno macropa, the decapod shrimp Pasiphaea scotiae, the scyphomedusae Atolla wyvilli and Periphylla periphylla, and chaetognaths, indicating a trophic independence from the ice-edge bloom for these species. Lower occurrence of the mesopelagic fish Bathylagus antarcticus and Cyclothone microdon under the ice suggested that trophic repercussions of the spring bloom can also extend to deeper living species.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the captain and crew of the R/V Polar Duke for their expert field assistance. Thanks are also due to Renee Bishop, Scott Burghart, Liz Clarke, and Teresa Greely for their considerable help with sample collection and processing during the cruise. This study was supported by NSF OPP 9220493 and NSF OPP 9910100, both to J.J. Torres.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 Seventh Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, 33701

    Joseph Donnelly & Joseph J. Torres

  2. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, 5600 US 1 North, Ft. Pierce, Florida, USA, 34946

    Tracey T. Sutton

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  1. Joseph Donnelly
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  2. Tracey T. Sutton
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Correspondence to Joseph Donnelly.

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Donnelly, J., Sutton, T.T. & Torres, J.J. Distribution and abundance of micronekton and macrozooplankton in the NW Weddell Sea: relation to a spring ice-edge bloom. Polar Biol 29, 280–293 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-005-0051-z

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