Abstract
The species abundance, vertical distribution and diurnal vertical migration of cyclopoid copepods was analyzed in the central Red Sea in October–November 1980. Samples were taken to a depth of 450 m with a multiple opening — closing plankton net with 0.1-mm mesh-size. Selected important species were allocated to five different groups according to their depth distributions during daytime. The greatest number of species (9) was found in the lower epipelagic zone (40 to 100 m), below the strong seasonal thermocline. The lowest number of species (1) occurred in the upper part of the upper mesopelagic zone (100 to 250 m), which is characterized by a strong dissolved oxygen gradient. Five species had a bimodal vertical distribution, with dual peak abundances in the epipelagic and upper mesopelagic zones. Distinct differences in distribution patterns were noted between sexes and/or developmental stages. The vertical range of diurnally migrating species was small, usually less than 50 to 100 m. Characteristic diurnal changes in the vertical succession of dominant species occur within the epipelagic zone (0 to 100 m). Species-specific vertical distribution patterns are compared with published data from other areas. A conspicuous difference in the proportion of carcasses was noted between species: small species (<0.5 mm in length) had a much higher proportion of carcasses, usually between 20 and 40% of the total standing stock, than larger ones (<5%). The potential causes of this phenomenon, which may be due to (1) methodological bias, (2) a lower sinking velocity of small carcasses, or (3) a higher mortality rate of small species, are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Ambler, J. W., Miller, C. B. (1987). Vertical habitat-partitioning by copepodites and adults of subtropical oceanic copepods. Mar. Biol. 94: 561–577
Apstein, C. (1910). Hat ein Organismus in der Tiefe gelebt, in der er gefischt ist? Int. Revue. ges. Hydrobiol. Hydrogr. 3: 17–33
Beckmann, W. (1984). Mesozooplankton distribution on a transect from the Gulf of Aden to the central Red Sea during the winter monsoon. Oceanol. Acta 7: 87–102
Beckmann, W. (1988). The zooplankton community in the deep bathyal and abyssal zones of the eastern North Atlantic. Preliminary results and data lists from MOCNESS hauls during cruise 08 of the RV “POLARSTERN”. Ber. Polarforsch. (Bremerhaven) 42: 1–57
Böttger, R. (1982). Studies on the small invertebrate plankton of the Sargasso Sea. Helgoländer Meeresunters. 35: 369–383
Böttger, R. (1985). Untersuchungen zur Verteilung der kleinen Metazoa im Plankton des Roten Meeres, unter besonderer Berücksichtigung cyclopoider und harpacticoider Copepoden. Dissertation Universität Hamburg
Böttger, R. (1987). The vertical distribution of micro- and small mesozooplankton in the central Red Sea. Biol. Oceanogr. 4: 383–402
Böttger-Schnack, R. (1988). Observations on the taxonomic composition and vertical distribution of cyclopoid copepods in the central Red Sea. In: Boxshall, G. A., Schminke, H. K. (eds.) Biology of copepods. Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Copepoda, London, August 10–14, 1987. Hydrobiologia 167/168: 311–318. Kluwer Academic Press, Dordrecht
Böttger-Schnack, R. (1990). Community structure and vertical distribution of cyclopoid copepods in the Red Sea. II. Aspects of seasonal and regional differences. Mar. Biol. 106: 487–501
Böttger-Schnack, R., Boxshall, G. A. (in press). Two newOncaea species (Copepoda: Poecilostomatoida) from the Red Sea. J. Plankton Res.
Böttger-Schnack, R., Schnack, D. (1989). Vertical distribution and population structure ofMacrosetella gracilis (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) in the Red Sea in relation to the occurrence ofOscillatoria (Trichodesmium) spp. (Cyanobacteria). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 52: 17–31
Böttger-Schnack, R., Schnack, D., Weikert, H. (1989). Biological observations on small cyclopoid copepods in the Red Sea. J. Plankton Res. 11: 1089–1101
Boxshall, G. A. (1977a). The depth distributions and community organization of the planktonic cyclopoids (Crustacea: Copepoda) in the Cape Verde Islands regions. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 57: 543–568
Boxshall, G. A. (1977b). The planktonic copepods of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean: some taxonomic notes on the Oncaeidae (Cyclopoida). Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (D: Zool.) 31: 103–155
Boxshall, G. A., Böttger, R. (1987). Two new species ofOncaea (Copepoda: Poecilostomatoida) from the Red Sea and a redescription ofO. atlantica Shmeleva. J. Plankton Res. 9: 553–564
Deevey, G. B., Brooks, A. L. (1971). The annual cycle in quantity and composition of the zooplankton of the Sargasso Sea off Bermuda. II. The surface to 2000 m. Limnol. Oceanogr. 16: 927–943
Delalo, E. P. (1966). Distribution of the zooplankton biomass in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, winter 1961/62. Okeanologicheskige issled. 15: 131–139 [in Russ.]
Ferrari, F. D., Böttger, R. (1986). Sexual dimorphism and a sex-limited polymorphism inParoithona pacifica (Nishida, 1985) (Cyclopoida: Oithonidae) from the Red Sea. Proc. biol. Soc. Wash. 99: 274–285
Ferrari, F. D., Bowman, T. E. (1980). Pelagic copepods of the family Oithonidae (Cyclopoida) from the east coasts of Central and South America. Smithson. Contr. Zool. 132: 1–27
Gordeyeva, T. K. (1970). Quantitative distribution of zooplankton in the Red Sea. Okeanologija, Mosk. 10: 867–871
Gorelova, T. A. (1974). Zooplankton from the stomachs of juvenile lantern fish of the family Myctophidae. Oceanology, Wash. 4: 575–580
Halim, Y. (1969). Plankton of the Red Sea. Oceanogr. mar. biol. A. Rev. 7: 231–275
Harder, W. (1968). Reactions of plankton organisms to water stratification. Limnol. Oceanogr. 13: 156–168
Kimmerer, W. J. (1984). Selective predation and its impact on prey ofSagitta enflata (Chaetognatha). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 15: 55–62
Kršinić, F. (1988). Redescription of the female with a first description of the male ofOncaea zernovi Shmeleva (Copepoda: Poecilostomatoida). J. Plankton Res. 10: 543–553
Lange, J., Falk, E., Zeitner, R. (1981). MESEDA 3-Data hydrography: water chemistry. Tech. Rep. No. 34G, Preussag Marine Technology Dept., Hannover, p. 1–45
LeBrasseur, R. J., Kennedy, O. D. (1972). Microzooplankton in coastal and oceanic areas of the pacific subarctic water mass: a preliminary report. In: Takenouti, A. Y. (ed.) Biological oceanography of the North Pacific Ocean. Idemitsu shoten, Tokyo, p. 355–365
Malt, S. J. (1983a). Studies on the taxonomy and ecology of the marine copepod genusOncaea Philippi. Ph.D. Thesis, University of London
Malt, S. J. (1983b). Copepoda,Oncaea. Fich. Ident. Zooplancton 169/170/171: 1–11
Marlowe, C. J., Miller, C. B. (1975). Patterns of vertical distribution and migration of zooplankton at Ocean Station “P”. Limnol. Oceanogr. 20: 824–844
Nishida, S., Marumo, R. (1982). Vertical distribution of cyclopoid copepods of the family Oithonidae in the Western Pacific and Eastern Indian Ocean. Bull. Plankton Soc. Japan 29: 99–118
Owre, H. B., Foyo, M. (1964). Report on a collection of Copepoda from the Caribbean Sea. Bull. mar. Sci. 14: 359–372
Pugh, P. R., Boxshall, G. A. (1984). The small-scale distribution of plankton at a shelf station off the northwest African coast. Contin. Shelf Res. 3: 399–423
Roe, H. S. J. (1984). The diel migrations and distributions within a mesopelagic community in the North East Atlantic. 4. The Copepods. Prog. Oceanogr. 13: 353–388
Roman, M. R., Gauzens, A. L., Cowles, T. J. (1985). Temporal and spatial changes in epipelagic microzooplankton and mesozooplankton biomass in warm-core Gulf Stream ring 82-B. Deep-Sea Res. 32: 1007–1022
Sameoto, D. D. (1986). Influence of the biological and physical environment on the vertical distribution of mesozooplankton and mikronekton in the eastern tropical Pacific. Mar. Biol. 93: 263–279
Scotto di Carlo, B., Ianora, A., Fresi, E., Hure, J. (1984). Vertical zonation patterns for Mediterranean copepods from the surface to 3000 m at a fixed station in the Tyrrhenian Sea. J. Plankton Res. 6: 1031–1056
Shmeleva, A. A. (1964). New Copepoda species in the Adriatic Sea and the characteristic features of their distribution. Okeanologija, Mosk. 6: 1066–1072 [in Russ.]
Shmeleva, A. A. (1969). Espéces nouvelles du genreOncaea (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) de la mer Adriatique. Bull. Inst. oćeanogr. Monaco 68 (1393): 1–28
Star, J. L., Mullin, M. M. (1981). Zooplankton assemblages in three areas of the North Pacific as revealed by continuous horizontal transects. Deep-Sea Res. 28 A: 1303–1322
Steedman, H. F. (1976). Examination, sorting and observation fluids. In: Steedman, H. F. (ed.) Zooplankton fixation and preservation. Monographs on oceanographic methodology, Vol. 4. UNESCO Press, Paris, p. 182–183
Sullivan, B. K. (1980). In situ feeding behaviour ofSagitta elegans andEukrohnia hamata (Chaetognatha) in relation to the vertical distribution and abundance of prey at Ocean Station “P”. Limnol. Oceanogr. 25: 317–326
Terazaki, M., Wada, M. (1988). Occurrence of large numbers of carcasses of the large, grazing copepodCalanus cristatus from the Japan Sea. Mar. Biol. 97: 177–183
Thiel, H., Weikert, H., Karbe, L. (1986). Risk assessment for mining metalliferous muds in the deep Red Sea. Ambio 15: 34–41
Tsalkina, A. V. (1979a). Vertical distribution and diurnal migration of some Cyclopoida (Copepoda) in the tropical region of the Pacific Ocean. Mar. Biol. 5: 275–282
Tsalkina, A. V. (1970b). The distribution of Copepoda Cyclopoida in the northern part of the Indian Ocean. The Cyclopoida biomass and the horizontal distribution of some species. Oceanology, Wash. 10: 388–397
Tsalkina, A. V. (1972). Vertical distribution and diurnal migration of Cyclopoida (Copepoda) in the northeastern Indian Ocean. Okeanologija, Mosk. 12: 566–576
Tsalkina, A. V. (1977). Vertical distribution and diurnal migrations of Cyclopoida (Copepoda) in the waters of the North Trade Winds Current and the Sulu Sea. Polskie Archm Hydrobiol. 24 (Suppl.): 337–362
Turner, J. T. (1986). Zooplankton feeding ecology: Contents of fecal pellets of the cyclopoid copepodsOncaea venusta, Corycaeus amazonicus, Oithona plumifera, andO. simplex from the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Pubbl. Staz. zool. Napoli (I: Mar. Ecol.) 7: 289–302
Weikert, H. (1977). Copepod carcasses in the upwelling region south of Cap Blanc, N.W. Africa. Mar. Biol. 42: 351–355
Weikert, H. (1980a). On the plankton of the central Red Sea. A first synopsis of results obtained from the cruises MESEDA I and MESEDA II. Proceedings Symp. cstl. mar. envir. Red Sea, Gulf Aden and tropical western Indian Ocean. Khartoum, January 9–14, 1980. The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Environmental programme, Jeddah, p. 135–167
Weikert, H. (1980b). The oxygen minimum layer in the Red Sea: ecological implications of the zooplankton occurrence in the area of the Atlantis II Deep. Meeresforsch. Rep. mar. Res. 28: 1–9 (Ber. dt. wiss. Kommn. Meeresforsch.)
Weikert, H. (1982). The vertical distribution of zooplankton in relation to habitat zones in the area of the Atlantis II Deep, central Red Sea. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 8: 129–143
Weikert, H. (1987). Plankton and the pelagic environment. In: Edwards, A. J., Head, S. M. (eds.) Red Sea. Key environments. Pergamon Press, Oxford, p. 90–111
Weikert, H., John, H.-Ch. (1981). Experiences with a modified Bé multiple opening-closing plankton net. J. Plankton Res. 3: 167–176
Wheeler, E. H. Jr. (1967). Copepod detritus in the deep sea. Limnol. Oceanogr. 12: 697–702
Wishner, K. F. (1980). Aspects of the community ecology of deepsea, benthopelagic plankton, with special attention to gymnopleid copepods. Mar. Biol. 60: 179–187
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Böttger-Schnack, R. Community structure and vertical distribution of cyclopoid copepods in the Red Sea. Mar. Biol. 106, 473–485 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344328
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344328