Net Zooplankton and the biological pump off Sanriku, Japan |
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Authors: | Satoru Taguchi Toshiro Saino |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Soka University, 1-236 Tangi-cho, Hachiouji, 192-8857 Tokyo, Japan;(2) Institute for Hydrospheric and Atmospheric Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa, 464-8601 Nagoya, Japan |
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Abstract: | Taxonomic composition, size composition, standing stock, and chemical composition of mesozooplankton were determined to examine
the contribution of their fecal pellets to the vertical flux of organic carbon at the outside, the edge, and the center of
the warm core ring. The warm core ring significantly affects not only their taxonomic composition and size composition but
also their standing stock and chemical composition. The zooplankton at the center of the warm core ring was characterized
by the absence of carnivores at the top of the size-trophic relation and filter feeding planktonic tunicates at the bottom.
Zooplankton carbon biomass at the outside of the ring was one-third less than that at the center of the ring. The vertical
flux of fecal pellets obtained from the pellet volume (12.3 mgC m−2d−1) contributed 19 to 96% of the flux (13 to 64 mgC m−2 d−1) estimated from the body carbon and the fecal pellet production rate. The estimated flux of fecal pellets was 6 to 27% of
vertical carbon flux (236 mgC m−2d−1) determined by the sediment traps. Microscopic determination of fecal pellets and plankton in the sediment trap samples indicated
high grazing activity during the sinking process. Those observations might suggest that particles other than fecal pellets
contributed significantly to the vertical carbon flux and fecal pellets were settled directly without loss or being recycled
within the surface mixed layer. |
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Keywords: | Zooplankton size-trophic relation fecal pellets organic carbon vertical flux |
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