- Title
- Trophic ecology of zooplankton at a frontal transition zone: fatty acid signatures at the subtropical convergence, Southern Ocean
- Creator
- Richoux, Nicole B
- Subject
- To be catalogued
- Date
- 2011
- Type
- text
- Type
- article
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/458033
- Identifier
- vital:75711
- Identifier
- xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbq132"
- Description
- Regional variations in fatty acid composition were assessed in zooplankton communities situated immediately north and south of the subtropical convergence (STC), where warm (maximum 21°C) nutrient-poor waters of the southwest Indian Ocean converge with cool (minimum 11°C) nutrient-rich subantarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. I hypothesized that food web structures differ from north to south based on average spatial differences in primary productivity, and that zooplankton in the more productive region show enhanced herbivorous feeding. Several taxonomic groups including euphausiids showed differences in their fatty acid signatures from north to south, indicating the existence of measurable within- and among-species differences in trophic relationships between the two communities, presumably stemming from variations in food quality and availability. The indices 22:6ω3/20:5ω3, 18:1ω9/18:1ω7 and Σω3/Σω6 indicated that carnivory was the dominant feeding mode in the north, whereas herbivory was more prevalent in the south, a pattern that was not detected in the same region using stable isotope ratios. Such conflicting results substantiate the importance of utilizing more than one method to investigate feeding relationships in aquatic systems. Fatty acid profiles of the amphipod Themisto gaudichaudii revealed some distinct herbivory markers, indicating more complex feeding habits by this important pelagic species than previously reported. My findings shed new light on the regional variations in zooplankton diet and food web dynamics in a poorly understood but critically important frontal zone bordering the Southern Ocean.
- Format
- computer, online resource, application/pdf, 1 online resource (15 pages), pdf
- Publisher
- Oxford Academic Journals
- Language
- English
- Relation
- Journal of Plankton Research, Richoux, N.B., 2011. Trophic ecology of zooplankton at a frontal transition zone: fatty acid signatures at the subtropical convergence, Southern Ocean. Journal of Plankton Research, 33(3), pp.491-505, Journal of Plankton Research volume 33 number 3 p. 491 2011 1464-3774
- Rights
- Publisher
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Oxford Academic Journals Open Access Policy Statement (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access)
- Rights
- Closed Access
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- Visitors: 6
- Downloads: 1
Collections
Richoux, Nicole Bertine (Assoc Prof)
RU Department of Zoology and Entomology
SDG 15. Life On Land
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Trophic ecology of zooplankton at a frontal transition zone.pdf | 646 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |