| Title: |
Grazing impact of Oikopleura dioica and copepods on an autumn plankton community. |
| Authors: |
Tönnesson, Kajsa; Maar, Marie; Vargas*, Cristian; Møller, Eva Friis; Satapoomin, Suree; Zervoudaki, Sultana; Christou, Epaminondas; Giannakourou, Antonia; Sell, Anne; Kjerulf Petersen, Jens; Gissel Nielsen, Torkel; Tiselius, Peter |
| Source: |
Marine Biology Research; Nov2005, Vol. 1 Issue 5, p365-373, 9p, 2 Charts, 7 Graphs |
| Subject Terms: |
COPEPODA; CRUSTACEA; GRAZING; REEFS; CORALS; ANTHOZOA |
| Abstract: |
Copepods and appendicularians are major grazers in the pelagic environment. They have different retention efficiencies for prey and may therefore exert a variable grazing pressure on the spectrum of pico- to micro-plankton. We determined clearance rates of both groups at one station during 24 h in the Gullmar fjord, west Sweden, in autumn 1999. Total potential prey biomass ranged from 75 µ g C l -1 at the surface to 14 µ g C l -1 at 30 m with a dominance of larger dinoflagellates (10–25 µ m athecate species and Gymnodinium / Gyrodinium sp.) and the pennate diatom Pseudo - nitzschia sp. Grazer biomass was dominated by copepods ( Acartia clausi , Paracalanus parvus ) and appendicularians ( Oikopleura dioica ). O. dioica showed non-selective clearance rates of 0.7–1.8 ml µ g C -1 h -1 on most diatoms, flagellates and ciliates, whereas Pseudo - nitzschia sp. and dinoflagellates and ciliates >25 µ m were not removed by O. dioica. Appendicularian grazing impact was 0.06% d -1 on the phytoplankton and 0.4% d -1 on bacterial biomass. Despite a seven-fold higher biomass, the grazing impact of copepods on phytoplankton biomass was only 0.28% d -1 indicating that O. dioica had a proportionally greater impact and, in contrast to copepods, also utilised bacteria. The low observed grazing impact was due to a low grazer biomass and a prey community largely unavailable to the investigated grazers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
Complementary Index |