Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
Chemical cues and signals mediate resource acquisition, mate finding, and the assessment of predation risk in marine plankton. Here, we use the chemical properties of the first identified chemical cues from zooplankton together with in situ measurements of turbulent dissipation rates to calculate the effect of turbulence on the distribution of cues behind swimmers as well as steady state background concentrations in surrounding water. We further show that common zooplankton (copepods) appears to optimize mate finding by aggregating at the surface in calm conditions when turbulence do not prevent trail following. This near surface environment is characterized by anisotropic turbulence and we show, using direct numerical simulations, that chemical cues distribute more in the horizontal plane than vertically in these conditions. Zooplankton may consequently benefit from adopting specific search strategies near the surface as well as in strong stratification where similar flow fields develop. Steady state concentrations, where exudation is balanced by degradation develops in a time scale of ~5 h. We conclude that the trails behind millimeter-sized copepods can be detected in naturally occurring turbulence below the wind mixed surface layer or in the absence of strong wind. The trails, however, shorten dramatically at high turbulent dissipation rates, above ~10−3 cm2 s−3 (10−7 W kg−1)
Highlights
The open ocean is a dilute environment
Mate Finding is Easier in 2 Dimensions than in 3
Even for strong turbulence, the constant supply of copepodamides from copepods will cause an increase in background concentration, which when sufficiently large will be balanced by the decay rate of the solute
Summary
The open ocean is a dilute environment. Organisms have to process large volumes of water to acquire resources and find mates [1]. Even for strong turbulence, the constant supply of copepodamides from copepods will cause an increase in background concentration, which when sufficiently large will be balanced by the decay rate of the solute These background concentrations reach bioactive concentrations in the upper ocean that trigger defensive traits such as harmful algal toxin production [9]. For typical values (Table 1) the equilibrium concentration is ~30 pM which is reached in a time scale of ~5 h This is an order of magnitude higher than the highest concentrations found in situ [9] which suggest that copepods do not reside sufficiently long in the same water package, or that other loss factors such as vertical mixing and sedimentation removes copepodamides. The production rate of copepodamides reported for Calanus sp. [8] may not be representative for other copepods and temperatures
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
