Effects of suspended sediments on copepods feeding in a glacial influenced sub-Arctic fjord

We investigated the effect of suspended sediments on the vital rates of the copepods Calanus finmarchicus, Pseudocalanus sp. and Metridia longa in a Greenland sub-Arctic fjord. The fjord had a gradient of suspended particulate matter (SPM) with high concentrations (>50 mg L–1) in the inner fjord due to glacial melt water runoff.

Laboratory experiments showed that when feeding on the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii specific ingestion rates were low at high concentrations of suspended sediment for C. finmarchicus (>20 mg L–1) and Pseudocalanus sp. (>50 mg L–1), while no effect was found for M. longa. For C. finmarchicus, a relatively constant fecal pellet production (FPP) and fecal pellet volume suggested ingestion of sediment, which probably led to reduction in egg production rates (EPRs) at high sediment concentrations.

For Pseudocalanus sp., FPP decreased with increasing sediment concentrations, while no effect was observed on EPR. No significant difference was observed in FPP for M. longa feeding on the diatom T. weissflogii compared to the ciliate Strombidium sulcatum. The study shows that high sediment concentrations influence the capability of carbon turnover in C. finmarchicus and Pseudocalanus sp., while M. longa appears to be more tolerant to high sediment loads.

Therefore, high concentrations of SPM could potentially influence the species composition of glacially influenced fjords.