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Structure and Spatial Distribution of Mesozooplankton Communities in the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean

  • MARINE BIOLOGY
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Abstract—The article discusses the composition and spatial distribution patterns of mesozooplankton communities in the waters of the Bransfield Strait, Antarctic Sound, Powell Basin of the Weddell Sea, and off the Antarctic Peninsula and South Orkney Islands during the austral summer of 2022. Among the mesozooplankton communities, two groups were revealed to be the most abundant: copepods Calanoides acutus, Metridia gerlachei and Oithona spp., and euphausiids Euphausia superba. The maximum abundance and biomass of mesozooplankton were found in warm Antarctic surface water (AASW) off the South Orkney Islands. Correspondingly, the minimum values were found in cold modified Transitional Weddell Sea Water (TWW) off the Antarctic Peninsula. Copepods was concentrated in the Bransfield Strait near the South Shetland Islands with a sea surface temperature (SST) of –0.5 to 0.5°С and sea surface salinity (SSS) of 34.5–34.6‰; krill E. superba eggs and larvae at different stages of development was concentrated in waters off the South Orkney Islands with SST values of 1–2°С and SSS values of 34.3–34.5‰. Four groups of mesozooplankton communities with different composition, abundance, and taxonomic dominance were identified. The results of this and future studies have practical implications for monitoring the state of the changing ecosystem of the Southern Ocean.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author thanks the leadership of IO RAS and head of the expedition E.G. Morozov for organizing expeditionary works, deputy leaders of the expedition T.N. Molodtsova and A.M. Orlov, the Plankton and Benthos teams for collecting plankton samples, colleagues from IO RAS, InSBMS RAS, POI FEB RAS, and NSCMB FEB RAS for helpful discussions, and the captain and crew of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh for comprehensive assistance.

Funding

The study was carried out within the state task of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, topic nos. FMWE-2022-0001 and 122072000067-9 (NSCMB FEB RAS).

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  1. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (NSCMB FEB RAS), 690041, Vladivostok, Russia

    V. V. Kasyan

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Kasyan, V.V. Structure and Spatial Distribution of Mesozooplankton Communities in the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean. Oceanology 63, 550–558 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437023040057

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