Mesopelagic fishes across the tropical and equatorial Atlantic: Biogeographical and vertical patterns

Olivar, M. Pilar; Hulley, P. Alexander; Castellón, A.; Emelianov, Mikhail; López, Cristina; Tuset, Víctor M.; Contreras, Tabit; Molı́, Balbina

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2016.12.001

Cited by 106 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…The differences found in the zones sampled in this study are consistent with the surface productivity regimes, in agreement with previous descriptions of the same cruise [30,32], and entail marked differences in the trophic resources available within each zone. Stations in zone 1 were affected by the northwest African upwelling and by the high salinity of the Canary Current.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Because isotopic equilibration for most of the zooplankton groups considered in this study would require more than the few hours spent between day and night samplings [58] it must be concluded that, at least for oligotrophic zones, zooplankton feeding in bathypelagic layers migrate during the night to mesopelagic layers. This is supported by the increase in the intensity of vertical migrations by myctophid fish species (consumers of plankton), from north to south, reported for the same MAFIA cruise sampled in the present study [32]. According to the "cascading migration" hypothesis, these predators would follow their prey in their migrations through the different layers.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…For the purposes of this study, the sampling stations were grouped into 3 zones of characteristic oceanographic conditions [30,32]. Vertical profiles of temperature, salinity, and fluorescence down to 3000 m were obtained at each of the 13 stations using a Seabird 911 Plus conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) instrument equipped with a Seapoint Chlorophyll Fluorometer Sensor and attached to a Niskin bottle rosette for water sampling.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Values for seston were not corrected because there is no significant relationship between algal C: N and δ 13 C ( [35]) and, furthermore, the mean ± SE C: N mass ratio was 10.14 ± 0.03 (n = 61), indicative of a low lipid content, and was homogeneous for all zones (ANOVA, p > 0.05, Supplementary Table S3). Further details on sampling and analysis can be found in previous articles on the MAFIA cruise [30,32]. The original isotopic and elemental composition dataset used in the present study is available at PANGAEA (https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.890257).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zooplankton composition and biomass in this region reflect the productivity of the surface waters (for example, References [21,25]) and previous studies on the vertical migrations of zooplankton [12,25] and mesopelagic fish [31] showed a measurable impact of these movements on carbon fluxes and export to deep ocean layers. Stable isotopes revealed that some of the most abundant mesopelagic fish (as myctophids) greatly depend on zooplankton [32], while copepods (one of the most abundant zooplankton taxa) showed a marked increase in heavy nitrogen isotopes with depth [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trophic Diversity of Plankton in the Epipelagic and Mesopelagic Layers of the Tropical and Equatorial Atlantic Determined with Stable Isotopes

Bode

Hernández‐León

2018

Diversity

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Plankton living in the deep ocean either migrate to the surface to feed or feed in situ on other organisms and detritus. Planktonic communities in the upper 800 m of the tropical and equatorial Atlantic were studied using the natural abundance of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes to identify their food sources and trophic diversity. Seston and zooplankton (>200 µm) samples were collected with Niskin bottles and MOCNESS nets, respectively, in the epipelagic (0-200 m), upper mesopelagic (200-500 m), and lower mesopelagic layers (500-800 m) at 11 stations. Food sources for plankton in the productive zone influenced by the NW African upwelling and the Canary Current were different from those in the oligotrophic tropical and equatorial zones. In the latter, zooplankton collected during the night in the mesopelagic layers was enriched in heavy nitrogen isotopes relative to day samples, supporting the active migration of organisms from deep layers. Isotopic niches showed also zonal differences in size (largest in the north), mean trophic diversity (largest in the tropical zone), food sources, and the number of trophic levels (largest in the equatorial zone). The observed changes in niche size and overlap (up to 71% between the mesopelagic layers but <50% between the epipelagic and upper mesopelagic layers) support the prevalence of in situ feeding at deep layers in tropical and equatorial zooplankton.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Trophic Diversity of Plankton in the Epipelagic and Mesopelagic Layers of the Tropical and Equatorial Atlantic Determined with Stable Isotopes

Bode

Hernández‐León

2018

Diversity

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Reproduction and Early Life History of Mesopelagic Fishes in the Kuroshio Region

Sassa¹

2019

Kuroshio Current

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The impact of a Southern Ocean cyclonic eddy on mesopelagic micronekton

Penna

Llort

Moreau³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Mesoscale eddies shape the foraging ecology of predators such as marine mammals and seabirds. A growing number of animal tracking studies show that predators alter their swimming, diving, and foraging behavior within mesoscale eddies. However, little is known about how Southern Ocean eddies influence the distribution of mesopelagic micronekton (fish, squid, and crustaceans), which are major prey items of megafauna. Studies in other oceanic regions have found that eddies can influence the abundance and community composition of micronekton. Here, we analyze acoustic observations from a 14-day survey of a cyclonic mesoscale eddy, its surrounding waters, and the Polar Frontal Zone (PFZ) waters where the eddy formed. We report and interpret spatial patterns of acoustic backscatter at 18 and 75 kHz, proxies indicating combined changes in species, size, and abundance of micronekton. We find that the vertical distribution of acoustic backscatter matched the underwater light conditions characteristic of the eddy core, periphery, and surrounding waters, at scales smaller than 10 km. The median water-column integrated acoustic backscatter values in the eddy core were only half of those measured in the Sub-Antarctic Zone waters surrounding the eddy, but similar to those measured in the PFZ, where the eddy originated 27 days prior. These results suggest that, as for physical and chemical tracers, the eddy maintained its biological characteristics from its source waters creating a unique habitat compared to its surroundings. Plain Language SummaryMesoscale eddies are rotating currents that are everywhere in the ocean.They are typically tens to one or two hundred km across, with lifetimes spanning weeks to months. Mesoscale eddies have a dramatic impact on the patterns of primary production in the open ocean, the transport of heat and salt across oceanic regions, global biogeochemical cycles, and the feeding behavior of marine predators such as pinnipeds, sharks, billfishes, and seabirds. In this study, we used underwater acoustic measurements to evaluate the effects of a Southern Ocean mesoscale eddy on the distribution of deep water micronekton, a diverse group of small animals including fish, crustacea, and squids. We found that the abundance and vertical distribution of micronekton inside the eddy differed from the surrounding waters. Micronekton distribution was instead more similar to where the eddy had originated a month prior to our sampling. Our results suggest that mesoscale eddies can maintain their biological characteristics from their source waters, creating a unique habitat compared to surrounding waters.

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Mesopelagic fishes across the tropical and equatorial Atlantic: Biogeographical and vertical patterns

Cited by 106 publications

References 76 publications

Trophic Diversity of Plankton in the Epipelagic and Mesopelagic Layers of the Tropical and Equatorial Atlantic Determined with Stable Isotopes

Trophic Diversity of Plankton in the Epipelagic and Mesopelagic Layers of the Tropical and Equatorial Atlantic Determined with Stable Isotopes

Reproduction and Early Life History of Mesopelagic Fishes in the Kuroshio Region

The impact of a Southern Ocean cyclonic eddy on mesopelagic micronekton

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