Mesozooplankton beneath the summer sea ice in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica: abundance, species composition, and DMSP content

Abstract

The summer Phaeocystis antarctica bloom increases under-ice phytoplankton biomass in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. The magnitude of mesozooplankton grazing on this bloom is unknown, and determines whether this production is available to the pelagic food web. We measured mesozooplankton abundance and body content of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) during the McMurdo Sound austral summer (2006 and 2006–2007). Abundance varied from 20 to 4,500 ind. m−3 (biomass 0.02–274.0 mg C m−3), with peaks in mid-December and late-January/February. Abundance was higher but total zooplankton biomass lower in our study compared to previous reports. Copepods and the pteropod Limacina helicina dominated the zooplankton in both abundance and biomass. DMSP was detected in all zooplankton groups, with highest concentrations in copepod nauplii and L. helicina (95 and 54 nmol mg−1 body C, respectively). Experiments suggested that L. helicina obtains DMSP by directly grazing on P. antarctica, which often accumulates to high biomass under the summer sea ice in McMurdo Sound.