Abstract
Spatial patchiness of plankton enhances fishery production and carbon export in the ocean. While diel vertical migration (DVM) has been identified as an important factor contributing to vertical patchiness, its effect on horizontal patchiness has never been investigated. We use a simple individual-based zooplankton model to examine the effect of DVM on the horizontal patchiness of four zooplankton groups with differing DVM patterns in a two-dimensional ocean circulation model. We find that zooplankton horizontal patchiness can be induced by two mechanisms: (1) in stratified waters, DVM can synchronize zooplankton vertical positions with the horizontal current velocities that drive them, resulting in horizontal patchiness; and (2) migrating zooplankton tend to aggregate in deep waters when they encounter sea bottom. Due to these mechanisms, zooplankton horizontal patchiness may be ubiquitous in the ocean, enhancing secondary production and fisheries.
Highlights
Spatial patchiness of plankton is a key factor enhancing fishery production and carbon export in the ocean (Okubo and Levin 2001; Franks 2005; Benoit-Bird and McManus 2012; Woodson and Litvin 2015)
This resulted in stronger currents for the stratified case
We find that zooplankton diel vertical migration (DVM) can induce horizontal patchiness in a water column with vertically heterogeneous horizontal ocean currents
Summary
Spatial patchiness of plankton is a key factor enhancing fishery production and carbon export in the ocean (Okubo and Levin 2001; Franks 2005; Benoit-Bird and McManus 2012; Woodson and Litvin 2015). Zooplankton DVM in the ocean is the greatest animal migration on the Earth in terms of biomass. How DVM can induce vertical patchiness is obvious: zooplankton aggregate at certain depths in response to the light stimuli. It is not clear whether zooplankton DVM may induce horizontal patchiness
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