Respiration and ammonia excretion by marine metazooplankton taxa: synthesis toward a global-bathymetric model

Abstract

For thirteen representative taxa of metazooplankton from various depth horizons (<4,200 m) of the world’s oceans, respiration rate (681 datasets on 390 species) and ammonia excretion rate (266 datasets on 190 species) are compiled and analyzed as a function of body mass (dry mass, carbon or nitrogen), habitat temperature, habitat depth and taxon. Stepwise-regression analyses reveal that body mass is the most important parameter, followed by habitat temperature and habitat depth, whereas taxon is of lesser importance for both rates. The resultant multiple regression equations show that both respiration rate and ammonia excretion rate (per individual) increase with increase in body mass and habitat temperature, but decrease with habitat depth. Some taxa are characterized by significantly higher or lower rates of respiration or ammonia excretion than the others. Overall, the global-bathymetric models explain 93.4–94.2 % of the variance of respiration data and 80.8–89.7 % of the variance of ammonia excretion data. The atomic O:N ratios (respiration/ammonia excretion) are largely independent of body mass, habitat temperature, habitat depth and taxon, with a median of 17.8. The present results are discussed in light of the methodological constraints and the standing hypotheses for the relationship between metabolic rate and temperature. Perspectives for model improvement and possible application of it to plankton-imaging systems for rapid assessment of the role of metazooplankton in C or N cycles in the pelagic ecosystem are briefly discussed.