Feeding activity of the copepod Acartia hongi on phytoplankton and micro-zooplankton in Gyeonggi Bay,Yellow Sea

To improve our understanding of the trophic link between micro-zooplankton and copepods in Gyeonggi Bay, Yellow Sea, the diet composition, ingestion rates, and prey selectivity of Acartia hongi, known as the most abundant and widespread copepod species, was estimated by conducting in situ bottle incubation throughout the different seasons. The results showed that A. hongi preferentially grazed on ciliate and heterotrophic dinoflagellate of a size ranging from 20 to 100 μm rather than phytoplankton. Although micro-zooplankton comprised only an average 13.7% of the total carbon available in the natural prey pool, micro-zooplankton accounted for >70% of the total carbon ration ingested by A. hongi throughout the year, except for winter diatom blooming periods when A. hongi obtained about 60% of its carbon ration from phytoplankton. Our results demonstrated that A. hongi modified their diet composition and feeding rates in response to change in composition and size of prey available to them, and that A. hongi preferentially ingested micro-zooplankton over phytoplankton. Feeding activity of A. hongi could therefore affect the species composition and size structure of natural plankton communities in this study area, particularly the micro-zooplankton. Strongly selective feeding and high grazing pressure by A. hongi on micro-zooplankton shows the role of trophic coupling between copepods and the microbial food web in the pelagic ecosystem of Gyeonggi Bay.     

Feeding of copepods on natural suspended particles in Tokyo Bay

Community grazing rates of copepods were estimated from data taken during three cruises in Tokyo Bay, based on bottle incubations and a temporal variation of gut fluorescence. Special attention was paid to the feeding selectivity in the estimations. Differential grazing was observed in the copepod communities:Acartia omorii, abundant in February, selectively fed on the particles of dominant size classes, whileOithona davisae, dominant throughout the year, andCentropages abdominalis selected large particles (>20µm). The maximum filtering rates on certain size classes were several times the average. In addition, a 34-hr investigation of the gut fluorescence of copepods revealed nocturnal feeding inParacalanus spp.,Pseudodiaptomus marinus andOithona davisae.Copepod communities collected with a net (95-µm mesh opening) were estimated to graze, in February 3.0%, in August 3.1–4.5% and in November 4.2–11.9% of the standing crops of phytoplankton or suspended particles per day.     

莱州湾夏季浮游桡足类的摄食研究

于１９９７年７月有（１９－２４日）和小湖（２６－３０日）期间在莱州湾对不同大小桡足类自然群体（大型：〉５００ｍｍ,小型：２００－５００ｍｍ）的分布及肠道色素含量进行了现场测定,并在一个４８ｈ连续观测站（Ａ４）进行了肠道排空率和摄食节律实验。结果表明,浮动物肠道色素含量随个体的增大而增加,大型桡足类存在着一定的昼夜摄食节律,摄食高峰出现在夜间,小型桡足类摄食切律不明显。Ａ４站测得的桡足类摄食结果表明     

Surface distributions of copepods in relation to regional upwellings around the Izu Islands in summer of 1988

Surface distributions of zooplankton were surveyed with simultaneous measurements of temperature, salinity, chlorophyll and nitrate, around the Izu Islands in July 1988. Several phytoplankton patches, which had developed in the upwelled waters, were encountered around the islands. Zooplankters collected with a 20µm mesh mainly consisted of copepods including eggs, nauplii, copepodites and adults.Paracalanus parvus dominated among the copepod females. High concentrations of all copepod stages were associated with the phytoplankton patches. The increase in reproductive activity of female copepods was considered as a possible process to form the copepod patches associated with the phytoplankton patches.     

Biomass,carbon ingestion,and ammonia excretion by zooplankton associated with an upwelling plume in western Cook Strait,New Zealand

The biomass, elemental composition, and rates of ingestion and excretion by macrozoo‐plankon associated with the upwelling plume off the north‐west coast of the South Island, New Zealand, were investigated in March‐April 1983. Ingestion and excretion rates of the major zoo‐plankton species were combined with abundance data to determine the spatial and temporal variability which may influence phytoplankton dynamics in the plume system. Zooplankton biomass near Cape Kahurangi was dominated by small copepods like Acartia ensifera (up to 60%). In the South Tar‐anaki Bight, larval and adult forms of the euphau‐siid Nyctiphanes australis commonly contributed up to 60% of biomass. However, the carbon ingestion and ammonia excretion patterns of N. australis were spatially displaced from those of the total zooplankton community in the South Taranaki Bight because of higher weight‐specific metabolic rates for the smaller copepods. Close to the focus of the upwelling near the Kahurangi Shoals, grazing pressure on the phytoplankton was high, but as the upwelled water was advected into the Taranaki Bight, carbon production exceeded utilisation by zooplankton. Relatively high rates of ammonia excretion were also associated with peak zooplankton biomass near the Kahurangi Shoals and in the eastern Taranaki Bight.     

Relationships between water-column stratification,phytoplankton cell size and copepod fecundity in Long Island Sound and off central Chile

Changes in phytoplankton abundance and size brought on by changes in water-column stratification are shown to affect copepod fecundity. The response of copepods to changes in their food environment, as manifested by changes in rates of egg production, is compared for two different time-scales: seasonal-to-weekly in Long Island Sound, New York, and event-scale-to-daily off the coast of central Chile. The data sets discussed include a time-series of hydrographic and chlorophyll samples along with measurements of copepod egg production (made using an incubation technique) carried out each week in Long Island Sound during 1985 and a 25-day time-series of daily measurements of the same variables at a fixed station in the nearshore coastal upwelling zone off Concepción, Chile, in January 1986. Egg production was often low, suggesting food-limitation. Temporal variations in the fecundity of the copepods Temora longicornis and Acarlia tonsa in Long Island Sound did not follow changes in total phytoplankton biomass, but rather changes in the concentration of chlorophyll in the > 10 μm and > 20 μm size fractions. Off Chile, changes in fecundity of Calanus chilensis mirrored changes in both total phytoplankton biomass and the > 20 μm size fraction. This fact demonstrates that herbivorous copepods follow closely changes in their food environment and suggests that there is a close coupling between food quality of phytoplankton (in terms of particle size), ingestion and egg production by adult females.     

Grazing impact of the copepod community in the Oyashio region of the western subarctic Pacific Ocean

The role of copepod grazing on the ecosystem dynamics in the Oyashio region, western subarctic Pacific was investigated during six cruises from June 2001 to June 2002. In situ grazing rates of the copepod community (CGR) were measured by the gut fluorescence method in respect to developmental stages of dominant species. In terms of biomass, more than 80% of the copepod community was dominated by six large calanoid species (Neocalanus cristatus, Neocalanus flemingeri, Neocalanus plumchrus, Eucalanus bungii, Metridia pacifica and Metridia okhotensis) throughout the year. Resulting from the observed pattern of the interzonal migrating copepods, the CGR in the Oyashio region was divided into three phases, i.e. spring (bloom), summer (post-bloom) and autumn-winter phase. During the spring bloom, late copepodites of the interzonal migrating species, N. cristatus, N. flemingeri and E. bungii appeared in the surface layer (0-50 m) to consume the production of the bloom, resulting in a high grazing rate of the copepod community (7.9 mg Chl m⁻² d⁻¹), though its impact on phytoplankton community was low due to the high primary productivity. During the post-bloom period, although the copepod community which was dominated by N. cristatus, N. plumchrus, M. pacifica and newly recruited E. bungii still maintained a high biomass, the CGR was generally lower (1.8-2.6 mg Chl m⁻² d⁻¹ for June and August 2001), probably due to the lower availability of phytoplankton. Nevertheless, the highest CGR was also observed during this period (10.5 mg Chl m⁻² d⁻¹ in June 2002). The high CGR on autotrophic carbon accounted for 69% of the primary production, suggesting that the copepod community in the Oyashio region potentially terminates the phytoplankton bloom. Abundant occurrence of young E. bungii, which is a characteristic phenomenon in the Oyashio region, was largely responsible for the high grazing pressure in June 2002 suggesting that success of reproduction, growth, and survival in E. bungii during the spring bloom is an important factor in controlling phytoplankton abundance during the post-bloom season. During autumn and winter, CGR was the lowest in the year (0.29-0.38 mg Chl. m⁻² d⁻¹) due to the disappearance of the interzonal migrating copepods from the surface layer. Diel migrant M. pacifica was the most important grazer during this period. The annual ingestion of the copepod community is estimated as 37.7 gC m⁻² on autotrophic carbon (converted using C:Chl ratio of 30) or 137.9 gC m⁻² on suspended particles (using C:Chl ratio of in situ value, 58-191), accounting for 13% and 46% of annual primary production, respectively. This study confirms that copepod grazing is an important pathway in carbon flow in the Oyashio region and in particular their role in the phytoplankton dynamics is significant for the termination of the spring bloom.     

中肋骨条藻-裸甲藻-双毛纺锤水蚤营养传递的级联效应

中型浮游动物因摄食微型浮游动物,释放了微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食压力,这种营养级联效应会增加浮游植物丰度和降低中型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食率,从而弱化浮游生物网营养传递过程中的下行控制作用。本研究在实验室模拟了食物链中肋骨条藻-裸甲藻-双毛纺锤水蚤的营养传递过程,发现在中肋骨条藻低生物量时,双毛纺锤水蚤偏好于选择摄食裸甲藻;高生物量时,双毛纺锤水蚤偏好选择摄食中肋骨条藻。营养传递过程中存在正的级联效应(0.018~0.12 d^-1),级联效应的大小与裸甲藻的摄食率和双毛纺锤水蚤对裸甲藻的摄食选择指数呈现显著的正相关关系。双毛纺锤水蚤对中肋骨条藻的直接摄食死亡率大于营养级联效应,从而导致中肋骨条藻生物量的降低。因此,营养级联效应对中型浮游动物摄食浮游植物的影响要弱于中型浮游动物的直接摄食作用。     

Effects of mesoscale phytoplankton variability on the copepods Neocalanus flemingeri and N. plumchrus in the coastal Gulf of Alaska

The copepods Neocalanus flemingeri and N. plumchrus are major components of the mesozooplankton on the shelf of the Gulf of Alaska, where they feed, grow and develop during April–June, the period encompassing the spring phytoplankton bloom. Satellite imagery indicates high mesoscale variability in phytoplankton concentration during this time. Because copepod ingestion is related to food concentration, we hypothesized that phytoplankton ingestion by N. flemingeri and N. plumchrus would vary in response to mesoscale variability of phytoplankton. We proposed that copepods on the inner shelf, where the phytoplankton bloom is most pronounced, would be larger and have more lipid stores than animals collected from the outer shelf, where phytoplankton concentrations are typically low. Shipboard feeding experiments with both copepods were done in spring of 2001 and 2003 using natural water as food medium. Chlorophyll concentration ranged widely, between 0.32 and 11.44 μg l⁻¹ and ingestion rates varied accordingly, between 6.0 and 627.0 ng chl cop⁻¹ d⁻¹. At chlorophyll concentrations<0.50 μg l⁻¹, ingestion is always low, <40 ng cop⁻¹ d⁻¹. Intermediate ingestion rates were observed at chlorophyll concentrations between 0.5 and 1.5 μg l⁻¹, and maximum rates at chlorophyll concentrations>1.5 μg l⁻¹. Application of these feeding rates to the phytoplankton distribution on the shelf allowed locations and time periods of low, intermediate and high daily feeding to be calculated for 2001 and 2003. A detailed cross-shelf survey of body size and lipid store in these copepods, however, indicated they were indistinguishable regardless of collection site. Although the daily ingestion of phytoplankton by N. flemingeri and N. plumchrus varied widely because of mesoscale variability in phytoplankton, these daily differences did not result in differences in final body size or lipid storage of these copepods. These copepods efficiently dealt with small and mesoscale variations in their food environment such that mesoscale structure in phytoplankton did not affect their final body size.     

Copepod grazing during spring blooms: Can Pseudocalanus newmani induce trophic cascades?

During late winter and spring of 2002 and 2003, 24 two- to three-day cruises were conducted to Dabob Bay, Washington State, USA, to examine the grazing, egg production, and hatching success rates of adult female Calanus pacificus and Pseudocalanus newmani. Here, we discuss the results of our grazing experiments for P. newmani. Each week, we conducted traditional microzooplankton dilution experiments and “copepod dilution” experiments, each from two different layers. Grazing was measured by changes in chlorophyll concentration and direct cell counts. Clearance rates on individual prey species, as calculated by cell counts, showed that Pseudocalanus are highly selective in their feeding, and may have much higher grazing rates on individual taxa than calculated from bulk chlorophyll disappearance. The grazing rates of the copepods, however, are typically an order of magnitude lower than the grazing rates of the microzooplankton community, or the growth rates of the phytoplankton. P. newmani ingested diatoms, but, at certain times fed preferentially on microzooplankton, such as ciliates, tintinnids, and larger dinoflagellates. Removal of the microzooplankton may have released the other phytoplankton species from grazing pressure, allowing those species’ abundance to increase, which was measured as an apparent “negative” grazing on those phytoplankton species. The net result of grazing on some phytoplankton species, while simultaneously releasing others from grazing pressure resulted in bulk chlorophyll-derived estimates of grazing which were essentially zero or slightly negative; thus bulk chlorophyll disappearance is a poor indicator of copepod grazing. Whether copepods can significantly release phytoplankton from the grazing pressure by microzooplankton in situ, thus causing a trophic cascade, remains to be verified, but is suggested by our study.     

Meso- and microzooplankton responses to an in situ iron fertilization experiment (SEEDS II) in the northwest subarctic Pacific

A mesoscale iron fertilization experiment was carried out in the western subarctic Pacific during summer 2004. The iron-patch was traced for 26 days after the enrichment, and the abundance and behavior of meso- and microzooplankton was compared with those outside of the patch. The surface chlorophyll-a concentration in the patch was high between days 10 and 13 (2.5 mg m⁻³) and decreased to the initial level after day 20. Microzooplankton grazing rates, estimated by a dilution method, was mostly balanced with phytoplankton growth rates throughout the observed period. Dominant mesozooplankton species in the upper 200 m were copepods: dominated by Eucalanus bungii, Neocalanus plumchrus and Metridia pacifica. Species composition did not change in the patch over the observation period. The copepod biomass was 3–5 times higher than in Subarctic Pacific Iron Experiment for Ecosystem Dynamics Study (SEEDS), the previous iron-enrichment experiment in the same area, before the bloom, and exponentially increased both inside and outside the patch, which was mainly brought by the development of N. plumchrus. The development rates of N. plumchrus were not significantly different between inside and outside the patch. Estimated grazing rate suggest that the copepod grazing was main cause of the low accumulation of phytoplankton biomass, and dominance of grazing-resistant organisms such as large ciliates, large diatoms and diatoms with extremely long setae. “Arrested migration” for M. pacifica and upward shift of vertical distribution by E. bungii were observed during the bloom period, even if the accumulation of phytoplankton biomass was very low compared to other iron-enrichment experiments. These results indicate that the copepod grazing shaped the food-web structure of the lower trophic levels (biomass and species composition) in SEEDS II.     

Copepod grazing on phytoplankton in the Pacific sector of the Antarctic Polar Front

Mesozooplankton abundance, community structure and copepod grazing on phytoplankton were examined during the austral spring 1997 and summer 1998 as part of the US JGOFS project in the Pacific sector of the Antarctic polar front. Mesozooplankton abundance and biomass were highest at the polar front and south of the front. Biomass increased by 1.5–2-times during the course of the study. Calanoides acutus, Calanus propinquus, C. simillimus, Rhincalanus gigas and Neocalanus tonsus were the dominant large copepods found in the study. Oithona spp and pteropods were numerically important components of the zooplankton community. The copepod and juvenile krill community consumed 1–7% of the daily chlorophyll standing stock, equivalent to 3–21% of the daily phytoplankton production. There was an increased grazing pressure at night due to both increased gut pigment concentrations as well as increases in zooplankton numbers. Phytoplankton carbon contributed a significant fraction (>50%) of the dietary carbon for the copepods during spring and summer. The relative importance of phytoplankton carbon to the diet increased south of the polar front, suggested that grazing by copepods could be important to organic carbon and biogenic silica flux south of the polar front.     

Copepod grazing during spring blooms: Does Calanus pacificus avoid harmful diatoms?

During late winter and spring of 2002 and 2003, 24, 2–3 day cruises were conducted to Dabob Bay, Washington State, USA, to examine the grazing, egg production, and hatching success rates of adult female Calanus pacificus and Pseudocalanus newmani. The results of the copepod grazing experiments for C. pacificus are discussed here. Each week, copepod grazing incubation experiments from two different depth layers were conducted. Grazing was measured by both changes in chlorophyll concentration and cell counts. In 2002, there was one moderate bloom consisting mainly of Thalassiosira spp. in early February, and a larger bloom in April comprised of two Chaetoceros species and Phaeocystis sp. Similarly, in 2003, there were two blooms, an early one dominated by Thalassiosira spp., and a later one consisting of Chaetoceros spp. and Thalassiosira spp. Clearance rates on individual prey species, as calculated by cell counts, showed that C. pacificus are highly selective in their feeding, and may have much higher clearance rates on individual taxa than rates calculated from bulk chlorophyll disappearance. During weeks of high phytoplankton concentration, the copepods generally ate phytoplankton. However, they often rejected the most abundant phytoplankton species, particularly certain Thalassiosira spp., even though the rejected prey were often of the same genus and similar size to the preferred prey. It is speculated that this avoidance may be related to the possible deleterious effects that certain of these diatom species have on the reproductive success of these copepods. During weeks of medium to low phytoplankton concentration, the copepods selectively ate certain species of phytoplankton, and often had high electivity for microzooplankton. The selection mechanism must consist of active particle rejection most likely based on detection of surface chemical properties, since the diatoms that were selected were of the same genus, nearly the same size, and at lower numerical abundance than those cells that were avoided. The grazing choices made by these copepods may have important consequences for the overall ecosystem function within coastal and estuarine systems through changes in the transfer efficiency of energy to higher trophic levels.     

The occurrence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acartia</Emphasis> species and their environmental characteristics at three ports in Korea

This study investigated the occurrence of Acartia copepods and their environmental characteristics to identify the existence and survival of foreign species at domestic ports in Korea. Copepods samples were collected seasonally, and temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), total suspended solids (TSS), and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) were measured at the seaports Incheon, Gwangyang, and Ulsan from 2007 to 2009. No foreign species was found and all of the Acartia copepods observed had been recorded in Korean waters previously. Acartia omorii, A. hongi, and A. pacifica were found at all three seaports, whereas portspecific species were found at Incheon (A. sinjiensis) and Ulsan (A. steueri, A. negligens, and A. danae). When chl-a and DO were not limited, eurythermal and euryhaline A. hongi, A. omorii, and A. hudsonica occurred at TSS concentrations between 38 and 183 mg·L⁻¹, while warm-water copepods (A. pacifica, A. ohtsukai, A. sinjiensis, and A. erythraea) occurred at TSS concentrations <80 mg·L⁻¹. The seasonal distributions of A. omorii, A. hongi, and A. pacifica at the three seaports were most significantly explained by temperature, salinity, DO, and TSS, and not chl-a. The variation in A. hudsonica and A. sinjiensis at Incheon was explained mainly by temperature, DO, and TSS, whereas A. erythraea at Ulsan was influenced only by chl-a. The occurrence of Acartia copepods showed spatiotemporal variation as a result of species-specific preferences or tolerances in each port environment. Multiple regression analysis indicated that temperature, salinity, DO, and TSS were better predictors of the variation in Acartia species at the seaports during the study than chl-a when food was not limiting. These results indicated that the occurrence of Acartia copepods and related environmental characteristics are crucial information for differentiating foreign species from the native community and predicting the potential for foreign copepods to become established after their introduction to a seaport.     

Dietary separation between co-occurring copepods in a food-limited tropical coral reef of the Sanya Bay

Food differentiation among coexistent species in the field is important strategy for copepods to acquire materials and maintain population stabilization.In situ diet analysis of co-occurring six copepod species in coral waters of the Sanya Bay was conducted using a PCR protocol based on 18 S ribosomal gene.Various prey organisms were uncovered,including dinoflagellate,diatom,green algae and plant,protozoa and metazoan.All these spatially coexisting six species showed different dietary diversity,with the food niche breadth(B)ranging from 1.00(Temora turbinate in morning)to 10.68(Calanopia elliptica in night).While food overlap between all these copepods were low,with the average value of the diet niche overlap index being approximately 0.09.Even temporally co-existing species sampled from the same time point fed on different groups of prey items with the food overlap index of 0.04 to 0.07 in midday and night but 0 in morning.As the most important dominant copepod in the Sanya Bay,Subeucalanus subcrassus seems to be capable to regulate its feeding,by exhibiting a rhythm of herbivorous feeding in midday and carnivorous feeding in morning and night,to better coordinate with other competitors for utilization of food resources.For most copepods,none of the prey items belonged to the dominant phytoplankton in the ambient water,indicating that copepod can better their survival by widening the choice of potential food resources in food limited environment.The dietary separation observed here might be important strategy for copepod to maintain population stabilization and thriving in the Sanya coastal waters.     

小型桡足类在海洋生态系统中的功能作用

依据渤海周年的中型浮游动物网样品 ,研究了小型桡足类的优势种小拟哲水蚤(Paracalanusparvus)、强额拟哲水蚤 (Paracalanuscrassirostris)和双刺纺锤水蚤 (Acartiabifilosa)生物量的季节变动、分布和年产量 ,并与渤海大型桡足类的优势种中华哲水蚤 (Calanussinicus)进行了比较。结果表明 ,三种小型桡足类成体的年产量分别为 2 4 .89、1 0 .83和 1 9.5 4mgC/(m3·a) ,中华哲水蚤的年产量为 1 8.30mgC/(m3·a)。小型桡足类主要分布在近岸 ,特别是渤海湾和莱州湾 ,这里正好是许多经济鱼类的产卵场和育幼场 ;而中华哲水蚤主要分布在中央水域。小型桡足类的高峰季节持续时间长 ,从 4月到 1 0月 ,覆盖了几乎所有仔稚鱼大量出现的月份 ;而中华哲水蚤高峰季节持续时间短 ,仅 6月和 7月。另外 ,在粒度上 ,小型桡足类的卵、无节幼体、桡足幼体和成体都比中华哲水蚤等大型桡足类小了一个数量级 (按体积计 ) ,特别适合作为仔稚鱼的饵料。因此认为 ,在近海生态系统中 ,小型桡足类较之大型桡足类起更为重要的作用     

Standing stocks and production rates of phytoplankton and planktonic copepods in the Inland Sea of Japan

Standing stocks and production rates of phytoplankton and planktonic copepods were investigated at 15 stations in the Inland Sea of Japan during four cruises in October–November 1979, January, April and June 1980. The overall mean of phytoplankton biomass was relatively constant during the study period, ranging from 2.3 mg chl.a m^–3 in April to 3.6 mg chl.a m^–3 in October–November. Primary production was low in January (mean: 90 mg C m^–2 d^–1), but higher than 375 mg C m^–2 d^–1 on the other occasions. Integrated annual primary production was 122 g C m^–2 yr^–1. In terms of carbon weight,Paracalanus parvus was the most important copepod species. The variation of the mean copepod biomass (range: 7.6 mg C m^–3 in April to 20.2 mg C m^–3 in June) was smaller than that of copepod production, which was estimated by the Ikeda-Motoda's physiological method. Copepod producion was low in cold seasons (0.6 and 0.9 mg C m^–3 d^–1 in January and April, respectively), and increased, following the elevation of primary production, to 4.9 mg C m^–3 d^–1 in June. Annual copepod production was 33.7 g C m^–2 yr^–1, of which herbivore (secondary) production was 26.4 g C m^–2 yr^–1 (21.7% of primary production). The ratios of pelagic planktivorous fish catch and total fish catch to the primary production were 0.82 and 1.8%, respectively, indicating very high efficiency in exploiting fishery resources in the Inland Sea of Japan.     

雷州半岛沿岸海域浮游桡足类的分布特征及其影响因素

根据2017年10月和2018年1、5、7月对雷州半岛沿岸海域浮游动物四个季度的调查数据,分析了浮游桡足类群落组成的季节变化及其影响因素.结果共鉴定出浮游桡足类80种,其中哲水蚤目55种,占总种类数的68.7％;剑水蚤目21种,占总种类数的26.2％;猛水蚤目3种,占总种类数的3.8％;鱼虱目1种,占总种类数的1.3％...     

Abundance, Biomass, Production and Trophic Roles of Micro- and Net-Zooplankton in Ise Bay, Central Japan, in Winter

We investigated the geographical variations in abundance and biomass of the major taxonomic groups of micro- and net-zooplankton along a transect through Ise Bay, central Japan, and neighboring Pacific Ocean in February 1995. The results were used to estimate their secondary and tertiary production rates and assess their trophic roles in this eutrophic embayment in winter. Ise Bay nourished a much higher biomass of both micro- and net-zooplankton (mean: 3.79 and 13.9 mg C m^–3, respectively) than the offshore area (mean: 0.76 and 4.47 mg C m^–3, respectively). In the bay, tintinnid ciliates, naked ciliates and copepod nauplii accounted for, on average, 69, 18 and 13% of the microzooplankton biomass, respectively. Of net-zooplankton biomass, copepods (i.e. Acartia, Calanus, Centropages, Microsetella and Paracalanus) formed the majority (mean: 63%). Average secondary production rates of micro- and net-zooplankton in the bay were 1.19 and 1.87 mg C m^–3d^–1 (or 23.1 and 36.4 mg C m^–2d^–1), respectively, and average tertiary production rate of net-zooplankton was 0.75 mg C m^–3d^–1 (or 14.6 mg C m^–2d^–1). Available data approximated average phytoplankton primary production rate as 1000 mg C m^–2d^–1 during our study period. The transfer efficiency from primary production to zooplankton secondary production was 6.0%, and the efficiency from secondary production to tertiary production was 25%. The amount of food required to support the zooplankton secondary production corresponded to 18% of the phytoplankton primary production or only 1.7% of the phytoplankton biomass, demonstrating that the grazing impact of herbivorous zooplankton was minor in Ise Bay in winter.     

Feeding selectivity of calanoid copepods on phytoplankton in Jangmok Bay,south coast of Korea

Grazing impacts of calanoid copepods on size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass [chlorophyll (Chl)-a] were measured in Jangmok Bay, Geoje Island, Korea, monthly from November 2004 to October 2005. The ingestion rate of calanoid copepods on total phytoplankton biomass ranged between 1 and 215 ng Chl-a copepod^?1 day^?1 during bottle incubations. Results indicated that microphytoplankton (> 20 μm) was the primary food source for calanoid copepods in grazing experiments on 3 phytoplankton size categories (< 3 μm, 3–20 μm, and > 20 μm). The ingestion rate on microphytoplankton showed a significant increase (r = 0.93, p < 0.01) with Chl-a concentration. Nanophytoplankton (3–20 μm) showed a negative ingestion rate from June 2005 to October 2005, but the reason is not completely understood. Calanoid copepods were unable to feed efficiently on picophytoplankton (< 3 μm) due to unfavorable size. Calanoid copepods removed between 0.1% and 27.7% (average, 3.6 ± 15.8%) of the phytoplankton biomass daily during grazing experiments. Grazing pressure was high in winter and early spring (January–March: 15.6–27.7%), while low in summer (June–August: ?33.1–0.0%) and autumn (September–November: ?1.4–5.1%). Results suggest that calanoid copepods play an important role in controlling the biomass and size structure of phytoplankton in winter and early spring.