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Distribution of Calanus populations in a glaciated fjord in the Arctic (Hornsund, Spitsbergen)—the interplay between biological and physical factors

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Abstract

The distribution and diversity of copepods of the genus Calanus were investigated in Hornsund Fjord (on the southwest coast of Spitsbergen) in summer 2001. The Bhattacharya method was used to sort individuals by species based on their prosome length. The established prosome length boundary values for the Calanus copepodid stages coincided with those defined for the Calanus species from Kongsfjorden (on the northwest coast of Spitsbergen). The predominant species in the main and inner fjord basins was Calanus glacialis, whereas Calanus finmarchicus was the prevailing species outside Hornsund. Younger copepodid stages (CI–CIII) of both species concentrated in the surface water layers (0–50∼70 m), while older copepodids (CIV–CVI females) that were ready for wintering stayed in deep layers (50∼70 m to bottom). Calanus hyperboreus was present in low numbers, predominantly as CIV, and in Hornsund deep water layers. The distribution and diversity of Calanus species complied with the notion that the marine fauna in Hornsund is of a more Arctic character than in Kongsfjorden, a fjord 260 km to the north on the west coast of Spitsbergen.

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  1. Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAS), Powstancow Warszawy 55, 81-712, Sopot, Poland

    Agata Weydmann & Slawek Kwasniewski

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  1. Agata Weydmann
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Correspondence to Agata Weydmann.

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Weydmann, A., Kwasniewski, S. Distribution of Calanus populations in a glaciated fjord in the Arctic (Hornsund, Spitsbergen)—the interplay between biological and physical factors. Polar Biol 31, 1023–1035 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-008-0441-0

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