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Feeding of the Dominant Herbivorous Plankton Species in the Black Sea and Their Role in Coccolithophorid Consumption

  • Marine Biology
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Oceanology Aims and scope

Abstract

The feeding of abundant herbivore plankton species has been investigated during different stages of coccolithophorid development in the northeastern Black Sea, namely, at the initial stage of development (March 2009) and at the massive bloom stage (June 2011 and May 2013). The role of coccolithophorids as a food source for Black Sea copepods Calanus euxinus, Acartia clausi, and Pseudocalanus elongatus; the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans; and the larvacean Oikopleura dioica has been characterized for the first time. The contribution of coccolithophorids to copepod ration was low (0.2 to 13% of total carbon intake) during all study periods. The content of these organisms in the diet of N. scintillans ranged from 17 to 100%. The coccolithophorid bloom apparently had a stronger positive effect on the nutrition of fine filter feeders, such as N. scintillans and O. dioica, than on copepod nutrition. Daily coccolithophorid consumption by zooplankton ranged from 0.7 to 39.4% of the biomass in different study periods. The grazing of N. scintillans and O. dioica populations made the greatest contribution to coccolithophorid consumption (up to 26 and 23% of the coccolithophorid biomass, respectively).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    A. B. Amelina, V. M. Sergeeva, E. G. Arashkevich, A. V. Drits & K. A. Solovyev

  2. Southern Branch of Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gelendzhik, Russia

    N. E. Louppova

Authors
  1. A. B. Amelina
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  2. V. M. Sergeeva
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  3. E. G. Arashkevich
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  4. A. V. Drits
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  5. N. E. Louppova
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  6. K. A. Solovyev
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Correspondence to A. B. Amelina.

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Original Russian Text © A.B. Amelina, V.M. Sergeeva, E.G. Arashkevich, A.V. Drits, N.E. Louppova, K.A. Solovyev, 2017, published in Okeanologiya, 2017, Vol. 57, No. 6, pp. 894–905.

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Amelina, A.B., Sergeeva, V.M., Arashkevich, E.G. et al. Feeding of the Dominant Herbivorous Plankton Species in the Black Sea and Their Role in Coccolithophorid Consumption. Oceanology 57, 806–816 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1134/S000143701706011X

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S000143701706011X

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