Summary
The sexual Development of antarctic krill was studied during the EPOS leg 2 cruise (November 1988–January 1989) in the seasonally ice covered Scotia-Weddell Confluence area. Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was used to elucidate the general trends of variation of biological (body-size, molt stage) and environmental data (geographical position, sea-ice extension, sampling time) associated with female development. In November, female krill from the ice covered area (Weddell Sea) had a juvenile ovary, while pelagic female krill from Scotia Sea were in advanced previtellogenesis, and one third of them had already spawned. The successive samples from the Confluence illustrated a rapid advance of sexual development during the whole period. Both observation of live krill maintained on board and the MCA confirmed the general trend of distribution of sexual development in relation with size structure and environmental factors. Previtellogenesis occurs in relation with the ice-edge, while vitellogenesis is performed in short cycles in the summer pelagic habitat. The degree of sexual development attained by krill samples (measured by the sexual development index, SDI) is then a good indicator of the biological activity of the krill population and of its impact on the pelagic ecosystem.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anonymous (1989) EPOS-Leg 2 data report. Hydrography. Part 1. Epos Leg 2. Distributed by NIOZ, Den Burg Texel, The Netherlands
Boysen-Ennen E, Piatkowski V (1988) Meso- and macrozooplankton communities in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Polar Biol 9:17–35
Brinton E, Huntley M, Townsend AW (1986) Larvae of Euphausia superba in Scotia Sea and Bransfield Strait in March 1984-Development and abundance compared with 1981 larvae. Polar Biol 5:221–234
Buchholz F (1982) Orach's molt staging system adapted for euphausiids. Mar Biol 66:301–305
Buchholz F (1991) Moult cycle and growth of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba in the laboratory. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 69:217–229
Cederlöf U, Ober S, Schmidt R, Svansson A, Veth C (1989) Hydrography. In: Hempel I, Schalk PH, Smetacek V (eds) The expedition Antarctis VII/3 (EPOS LEG 2) of RV “Polarstern” in 1988/89. Ber Polarforsch 65:14–19
Cuzin-Roudy J (1987a) Sexual differentiation in the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. J Crust Biol 7:518–524
Cuzin-Roudy J (1987b) Gonad history of the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba Dana during its breeding season. Polar Biol 7:237–244
Cuzin-Roudy J, Amsler MO (1991) Ovarian development and sexual maturity staging in Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba Dana (Crustacea: Euphausiacea). J Crust Biol 11:236–249
Cuzin-Roudy J, Schalk P (1989) Macrozooplankton biomass, development and activity. In: Hempel I, Schalk PH, Smetacek V (eds) The expedition Antarctis VII/3 (EPOS LEG 2) of RV “Polarstern” in 1988/89. Ber Polarforsch 65:146–159
Daly KL, Macaulay MC (1988) Abundance and distribution of krill in the ice edge zone of the Weddell Sea, austral spring 1983. Deep-Sea Res 35:21–41
Denys CF, McWhinnie MA (1982) Fecundity and ovarian cycles of the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. Can J Zool 60:2414–2423
El Sayed SZ (1988) Seasonal and interannual variabilities in Antarctic phytoplancton with reference to krill distribution. In: Sarhage D (ed) Antarctic ocean and resources variability. Springer, Berlin, pp 101–119
Everson I (1977) The living resources of the sourthern Ocean. FAO Rep GLO/30/77/1, pp 1–156
Franeker JA (1989) Sea ice conditions. In: Hempel I, Schalk PH, Smetacek V (eds) The expedition Antarctis VII/3 (EPOS LEG 2) of RV “Polarstern” in 1988/89. Ber Polarforsch 65: pp 10–13
Gower JC (1987) Introduction to ordination techniques. In: Legendre P, Legendre L (eds) Developments in numerical ecology. Nato ASI Series, Ser G: Ecological sciences, vol 14. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York Tokyo, pp 3–64
Hempel G (1985) Antarctic marine food webs. In: Siegfried WR, Condy PR, Laws RM (eds) Antarctic nutrient cycles and food webs. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 266–270
Hempel G (1987) The krill-dominated pelagic system of the Southern Ocean. Environ Int 13:33–36
Hempel I, Schalk PH, Smetacek V (1989) The expedition Antarktis VII/3 (EPOS LEG 2) of RV “Polarstern” in 1988/89. Ber Polarforsch 65:199
Hosie GW (1991) Distribution and abundance of euphausiid larvae in the Prydz Bay region, Antarctica. Antarct Sci 3:167–180
Hosie GW, Ikeda T, Stolp M (1988) Distribution, abundance and population structure of the Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana) in the Prydz Bay region, Antarctica. Polar Biol 8:213–224
Ikeda T (1985) Life history of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba: a new look from an experimental approach. Bull Mar Sci 37:599–608
Legendre L, Legendre P (1983) Numerical ecology. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Leeuw J de (1987) Non linear multivariate analysis with optimal scaling. In: Legendre P, Legendre L (eds) Developments in numerical ecology. Nato ASI Series, Ser G: Ecological sciences, vol 14. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York Tokyo, pp 157–188
Makarov RR, Denys CJ (1980) Stages of sexual maturity of Euphausia superba Dana; BIOMASS Handb 11:1–11
Marr JWS (1962) The natural history of the Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana) Discovery Rep 32:33–464
Marschall HP (1988) The overwintering strategy of Antarctic krill. Polar Biol 9:129–135
Mauchline J (1981) Measurements of body-length of Euphausia superba Dana. BIOMASS Handb 4:1–9
Miller DGM, Hampton I (1989) Biology and ecology of the Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana): a review. BIOMASS, vol 9. Ed by SCAR and SCOR, Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambrdige, UK, pp 166
Nicol S (1989) Apparent independence of the spawning and moulting cycles in female Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana). Polar Biol 9:371–375
O'Brien DP (1987) Description of escape responses of krill (Crustacea: Euphausiacea), with particular reference to swarming behaviour and the size and proximity of predator. J Crust Biol 7:449–457
Priddle J, Croxall JP, Everson I, Heywood RB, Murphy EJ, Prince PA, Sear CB (1988) Large scale fluctuations in distribution and abundance of krill. — A discussion of possible causes. In: Sarhage D (ed) Antarctic ocean and resources variability. Springer, Berlin, pp 169–182
Quetin LB, Ross RM (1991) Behavioral and physiological characteristics of the Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba. Am Zool 31:49–63
Ross RR, Quetin LB (1983) Spawning frequency and fecundity of the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. Mar Biol 77:201–205
Schalk PH (1990) Biological activity in the Antarctic zooplankton community. Polar Biol 10:405–411
Siegel S (1956) Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. McGraw-Hill Kogakush, Tokyo Düsseldorf Johannesburg London
Siegel V (1982) Investigations on krill (Euphausia superba) in the Southern Weddell sea. Meeresforschung 29:244–252
Siegel V, Bergström B, Strömberg JO, Schalk PH (1990) Distribution, size frequencies and maturity stages of krill, Euphausia superba, in relation to sea ice in the Northern Weddell Sea. Polar Biol 10:549–557
Stretch JJ, Hamner PP, Hamner WM, Michel WC, Cook J, Sullivan CW (1988) Foraging behavior of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba on sea ice microalgae. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 44:131–139
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Data presented here were collected during the European Polarstern Study (EPOS) sponsored by the European Science Foundation
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cuzin-Roudy, J., Labat, J.P. Early summer distribution of Antarctic krill sexual development in the Scotia-Weddell region: a multivariate approach. Polar Biol 12, 65–74 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239966
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239966