Robust model-based indicators of regional differences in food-web structure in the Southern Ocean

Hill, Simeon L.; Pinkerton, Matthew H.; Ballerini, Tosca; Cavan, Emma L.; Gurney, L.; Martins, Irene; Xavier, José C.

doi:10.1016/j.jmarsys.2021.103556

Cited by 8 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…These pathways may be dominated for example, by copepods (Murphy et al, 2012a) or salps (Atkinson et al, 2004). Although understanding of the regional and temporal variations in these alternative pathways is emerging (Murphy et al, 2013;Hill et al, 2021) and such pathways may provide different links between pelagic-benthic and pelagic-mesopelagic communities, unless primary production changes they cannot support the same degree of predator demand as the phytoplankton-krill-predator pathway (Murphy et al, 2007a). This is because their increased complexity and concomitant trophic transfers are associated with greater energy loss (Murphy et al, 2012a(Murphy et al, , 2016.…”

Section: Community Level Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status, Change, and Futures of Zooplankton in the Southern Ocean

et al. 2022

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In the Southern Ocean, several zooplankton taxonomic groups, euphausiids, copepods, salps and pteropods, are notable because of their biomass and abundance and their roles in maintaining food webs and ecosystem structure and function, including the provision of globally important ecosystem services. These groups are consumers of microbes, primary and secondary producers, and are prey for fishes, cephalopods, seabirds, and marine mammals. In providing the link between microbes, primary production, and higher trophic levels these taxa influence energy flows, biological production and biomass, biogeochemical cycles, carbon flux and food web interactions thereby modulating the structure and functioning of ecosystems. Additionally, Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and various fish species are harvested by international fisheries. Global and local drivers of change are expected to affect the dynamics of key zooplankton species, which may have potentially profound and wide-ranging implications for Southern Ocean ecosystems and the services they provide. Here we assess the current understanding of the dominant metazoan zooplankton within the Southern Ocean, including Antarctic krill and other key euphausiid, copepod, salp and pteropod species. We provide a systematic overview of observed and potential future responses of these taxa to a changing Southern Ocean and the functional relationships by which drivers may impact them. To support future ecosystem assessments and conservation and management strategies, we also identify priorities for Southern Ocean zooplankton research.

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Section: Community Level Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status, Change, and Futures of Zooplankton in the Southern Ocean

et al. 2022

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“…One of the most common descriptions of food web structure and function is the relative importance of various species and trophic relationships in dictating how energy flows through an ecosystem (i.e., energy pathways). Multiple studies have described the various energy pathways that exist within Southern Ocean ecosystems, with their dominance varying across regions and between seasons (Ballerini et al, 2014;Suprenand and Ainsworth, 2017;Dahood et al, 2019;McCormack et al, 2019bMcCormack et al, , 2020Hill et al, 2021).…”

Section: Characterising Southern Ocean Food Websmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Insights gained from regional analyses of food web structure and the mechanisms for energy flow (McCormack et al, 2020;Hill et al, 2021) have provided the foundation for developing a generalised view of Southern Ocean food webs, one that highlights the importance of alternative energy pathways and regional variability in the relative importance in those pathways…”

Section: Characterising Southern Ocean Food Websmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A new development addresses EwE-wide parameter uncertainty by recording alternate mass-balanced parameter sets in the Monte Carlo routine (Ecosampler; Steenbeek et al, 2018). These guidelines and improvements to the software provide a path forward for developing reliable models for ecosystem-based management, including multi-model ensemble approaches to predict ecosystem response to change (Heymans et al, 2016;Hill et al, 2021).…”

Section: Whole-of-food Web Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Southern Ocean marine ecosystems support globally important values and services such as the sequestration of atmospheric carbon, commercial fisheries, polar biodiversity, the existence of iconic wildlife populations, and cultural connections (Grant et al, 2013;Cavanagh et al, 2021;Murphy et al, 2021;Roberts et al, 2021). These unique ecosystems and the services they support are underpinned by the structure, function, and dynamics of complex interconnected and regionally distinctive food webs (McCormack et al, 2020;Hill et al, 2021). Food web structure can be understood in terms of energy transfer and biomass flow between different components of the ecosystem, either flowing from primary producers to top predators in the pelagos or exported to the benthos through the sinking of detritus and dead organisms as well as through active transport, thereby serving as an energy source for many benthic organisms (Isla et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Southern Ocean Food Web Modelling: Progress, Prognoses, and Future Priorities for Research and Policy Makers

et al. 2021

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Massive circumpolar biomass of Southern Ocean zooplankton: Implications for food web structure, carbon export, and marine spatial planning

Yang

Atkinson

Pakhomov

et al. 2022

Limnology & Oceanography

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With rapid, sector‐specific climatic changes impacting the Southern Ocean, we need circumpolar‐scale biomass data of its plankton taxa to improve food web models, blue carbon budgets and resource management. Here, we provide a new dataset on mesozooplankton biomass with 2909 records spanning the last 90 yr, and describe, in comparable carbon units, their circumpolar distribution alongside those of phytoplankton, Antarctic krill, and salps. With our datasets, we estimate total summer carbon biomasses for phytoplankton (36 MT), mesozooplankton (67 MT), krill (30 MT), and salps (1.7 MT). The mesozooplankton value is much higher than previously reported and, added to that of krill and salps, points to an enormous overall biomass of zooplankton in the Southern Ocean. This means that the pyramids of biomass are often inverted, with higher biomass of zooplankton than of phytoplankton. Such high biomasses suggest key roles of grazers in nutrient cycling and we estimate an export of ~ 50 Mt C yr−1, solely from mortality of overwintering zooplankton that typically reside at depth. Deep lipid respiration (the lipid pump), for example, would increase this export even further. While inverted biomass pyramids prevailed at mid latitudes (50°–70°S), the balance of taxa differed regionally: for example, with biomass dominance by phytoplankton (highest latitudes and Pacific sector), mesozooplankton (Kerguelen Plateau), krill (north and east Scotia Sea), and salps (Crozet area). In light of contrasting climate change impacts between these sectors, we provide data that will underpin biogeochemical and food web models, blue carbon budgets, and the planning of marine protected areas.

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Robust model-based indicators of regional differences in food-web structure in the Southern Ocean

Cited by 8 publications

References 46 publications

Status, Change, and Futures of Zooplankton in the Southern Ocean

Status, Change, and Futures of Zooplankton in the Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean Food Web Modelling: Progress, Prognoses, and Future Priorities for Research and Policy Makers

Massive circumpolar biomass of Southern Ocean zooplankton: Implications for food web structure, carbon export, and marine spatial planning

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