Spatial changes in the vertical distribution of calanoid copepods down to great depths in the North Pacific.

Atsushi Yamaguchi,Kohei Matsuno,Tomoe Homma

doi:10.1186/s40555-014-0091-6

Atsushi Yamaguchi, Kohei Matsuno + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1186/s40555-014-0091-6

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Abstract

Despite its ecological importance, little information is available regarding the spatial and vertical changes in the calanoid copepod community over large geographical regions. This study investigated the spatial and vertical patterns in calanoid copepod abundance and community structure using zooplankton samples collected between depths of 0 and 2,615 m across the North Pacific from 0° to 56°N. A total of 211 calanoid copepod species belonging to 66 genera and 24 families were identified. Calanoid copepod abundance decreased with increasing depth, and few latitudinal differences were detected. Across the entire region, species diversity peaked near 500 to 2,000 m in depth. The calanoid copepod community was separated into seven groups with distinct spatial and vertical distributions. For all groups, the number of species was low (28 to 37 species) in the subarctic region (north of 40°N) and high (116 to 121 species) in the subtropical-tropical region. The deepest group in the subtropical-tropical region was composed of cosmopolitan species, and this group was also observed in deep water in the subarctic region. Indeep water, most of the calanoid copepod community consisted of cosmopolitan species, while an endemiccommunity was observed in the subarctic region. Because the food of deep-sea calanoid copepods originates fromthe surface layer, sufficient and excess flux in the eutrophic subarctic region may be responsible for maintaining the endemic species in the region.

Highlights

IntroductionLittle information is available regarding the spatial and vertical changes in the calanoid copepod community over large geographical regions
Despite its ecological importance, little information is available regarding the spatial and vertical changes in the calanoid copepod community over large geographical regions
Calanoid copepods are the dominant component of the zooplankton biomass throughout the water column in the North Pacific

Summary

Introduction

Little information is available regarding the spatial and vertical changes in the calanoid copepod community over large geographical regions. This study investigated the spatial and vertical patterns in calanoid copepod abundance and community structure using zooplankton samples collected between depths of 0 and 2,615 m across the North Pacific from 0° to 56°N. Calanoid copepods are the dominant component of the zooplankton biomass throughout the water column in the North Pacific. They consume much of the primary production and are an important link to higher trophic levels; they have an important role in energy transport in marine ecosystems. Most studies on the community structure of calanoid copepods at great depths have collected samples using plankton nets (cf Vinogradov 1968). Examples include studies in the Arctic Ocean (Kosobokova and Hirche 2000; Auel and Hagen 2002), Greenland Sea (Richter 1994), Bering Sea (Homma and Yamaguchi 2010), Atlantic Ocean (Roe 1972; Koppelmann and Weikert 1999), subarctic Pacific (Vinogradov 1962; Arashkevich 1972; Yamaguchi et al 2002; Steinberg et al 2008), Mediterranean Sea (Scotto di Calro et al 1984; Weikert and Trinkaus 1990; Koppelmann and Weikert 2007), Arabian Sea (Madhupratap and Haridas 1990; Fabian et al 2005; Koppelmann and Weikert 2005; Wishner et al 2008), Red Sea (Weikert 1982; Weikert and Koppelmann 1993), and the Antarctic Ocean

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