Journal article
Marine snow, zooplankton and thin layers: indications of a trophic link from small-scale sampling with the Video Plankton Recorder
Marine aggregates of biogenic origin, known as marine snow, are considered to play a major role in the ocean’s particle flux and may represent a concentrated food source for zooplankton. However, observing the marine snow−zooplankton interaction in the field is difficult since conventional net sampling does not collect marine snow quantitatively and cannot resolve so-called thin layers in which this interaction occurs.
Hence, field evidence for the importance of the marine snow−zooplankton link is scarce. Here we employed a Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) to quantify small-scale (metres) vertical distribution patterns of fragile marine snow aggregates and zooplankton in the Baltic Sea during late spring 2002. By using this non-invasive optical sampling technique we recorded a peak in copepod abundance (ca. 18 ind. l−1) associated with a pronounced thin layer (50 to 55 m) of marine snow (maximum abundance of 28 particles l−1), a feature rarely resolved.
We provide indirect evidence of copepods feeding on marine snow by computing a spatial overlap index that indicated a strong positively correlated distribution pattern within the thin layer. Furthermore we recorded images of copepods attached to aggregates and demonstrating feeding behaviour, which also suggests a trophic interaction.
Our observations highlight the potential significance of marine snow in marine ecosystems and its potential as a food resource for various trophic levels, from bacteria up to fish
Language: | English |
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Publisher: | Inter-Research |
Year: | 2012 |
Pages: | 57-69 |
ISBN: | 1583811354 and 9781583811351 |
ISSN: | 16161599 and 01718630 |
Types: | Journal article |
DOI: | 10.3354/meps09984 |
ORCIDs: | St. John, Michael |
Baltic Sea CENTRAL BALTIC SEA DENSITY DISCONTINUITIES GEORGES BANK Marine snow NORTHERN ADRIATIC SEA PHYSICAL PROCESSES PHYTOPLANKTON LAYERS PSEUDOCALANUS-ACUSPES SPATIAL-DISTRIBUTIONBaltic Sea SPATIOTEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION Small-scale distribution Thin layer Trophic interactions Trophic interactions Video Plankton Recorder WATER COLUMN Zooplankton