Variation in the diel vertical distributions of larvae and transforming stages of oceanic fishes across the tropical and equatorial Atlantic

Olivar, M. Pilar; Contreras, Tabit; Hulley, P. Alexander; Emelianov, Mikhail; López-Pérez, C.; Tuset, Víctor M.; Castellón, A.

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2017.12.005

Cited by 40 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…The occurrence of transforming and juvenile stages of the studied species in the neuston coincides with the presence of their larvae in plankton samples from the epipelagic layers and of juveniles and adults from midwater trawls at the same stations (Olivar et al 2017(Olivar et al , 2018. In general, larval stages showed wider horizontal distributions than juvenile and adults.…”

Section: Species Distributionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…Here we study the feeding patterns of several myctophids (of subfamily Myctophinae) from the equatorial and tropical Atlantic, which occur at night in the neustonic layer. The diel vertical distribution of larvae, transforming, and adult stages of myctophids in this region have been recently investigated by Olivar et al (2017Olivar et al ( , 2018 based on samples obtained with a midwater trawl and a plankton net throughout the water column. In general, species of this subfamily have been reported as the most common in neuston samples in other regions of the Atlantic, as well as in the Indian and Pacific oceans (Hopkins & Gartner 1992, Watanabe et al 1999, 2002, Watanabe & Kawaguchi 2003, Olivar et al 2016.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feeding patterns of transforming and juvenile myctophids that migrate into neustonic layers

Contreras

Olivar

González-Gordillo

et al. 2020

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Adult and juvenile myctophids feed at night in the epipelagic zone (<200 m) and are more dispersed in the mesopelagic zone (200-1000 m) during the daylight hours. In contrast, larvae inhabit the upper 200 m throughout a 24 h period and have daylight feeding patterns. Transforming stages occur both at the surface and in the mesopelagic zone and show less-defined feeding patterns. In this study, we analysed the trophic ecology of transforming and juvenile stages of 4 myctophids that occupy the neustonic layers (first 0-20 cm of the water column) during their nightly vertical migrations: Dasyscopelus asper, Gonichthys cocco, Myctophum affine, and M. nitidulum. Day and night neuston samples were collected across the equatorial and tropical Atlantic in April 2015. Transforming and juvenile stages occurred at night in the neuston, where they fed, but were absent from this layer during the day. The highest prey ingestion was observed between 01:00 and 04:00 h (UTC). Feeding incidence and the number of prey ingested increased from transformation stages to juvenile stages. Although the maximum prey size increased with fish body length, there was no significant increasing trend in mean prey sizes, but a great variability in the sizes of consumed prey. Diets of the 4 species mainly comprised a variety of copepod genera, usually dominated by Oncaea species. There was no evidence of resource partitioning among the 4 myctophid species. Estimates of daily feeding rations, based on the relationship between carbon content per gut and carbon content of fish body, throughout the night feeding period, showed that these species in these early stages ingested between 0.43 and 5.78% of their body carbon weight daily. We suggest that the occurrence and feeding of these early stages in the neuston may contribute to reducing trophic competition between migrating myctophids by space segregation.

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Section: Species Distributionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding patterns of transforming and juvenile myctophids that migrate into neustonic layers

Contreras

Olivar

González-Gordillo

et al. 2020

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…100-50 m), and the upper mixed layer (ca. 50-0 m) (see Olivar et al, 2018b). Immediately after sampling, organisms were gently collected and samples for enzymatic measurements were picked up, frozen in liquid nitrogen (−196 • C), and later preserved at −80 • C. After this, the entire sample was preserved in 5% buffered formalin and seawater.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Leptocephali, relatively abundant at night in the upper surface layer of station 6, were removed from the migratory organisms as their residence depth during day expanded from surface to ca. 300 m (Castonguay and McCleave, 1987;Olivar et al, 2018b). Wet weight of fishes were converted to dry weight (Dw) using the Dw/Ww ratio of 0.23 obtained for the cruise specimens (López-Pérez, unpublished), similar to the ratios given by Childress and Nygaard (1973).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zooplankton and Micronekton Active Flux Across the Tropical and Subtropical Atlantic Ocean

et al. 2019

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Quantification of the actual amount of carbon export to the mesopelagic layer by both zooplankton and micronekton is at present a gap in the knowledge of the biological pump. These organisms perform diel vertical migrations exporting carbon through respiration, excretion, mortality, and egestion during their residence at depth. The role of zooplankton in active flux is nowadays partially assessed. However, micronekton active flux is scarcely known and only a few studies addressed this downward transport. Even less is known about the capacity of both communities to export carbon in the ocean. Here, we show the results of zooplankton and micronekton active flux across a productivity gradient in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean. Biomass vertical distribution from the surface up to 800 m depth by day and night was studied during April 2015 in a transect from 9 • S to 25 • N, covering from the quite oligotrophic zone off Brazil to the meso-and eutrophic areas of the equator, Guinea Dome, and the oceanic upwelling off Northwest Africa. Zooplankton and micronekton migrant biomass was estimated from day and night catches at different layers of the water column using MOCNESS-1 (1 m 2 mouth area) and Mesopelagos (35 m 2 ) nets, respectively. Respiratory flux was assessed by measuring the enzymatic activity of the electron transfer system (ETS) of organisms at depth. Results showed a close relationship between migrant biomass and respiratory flux in zooplankton and micronekton as expected. Using a rather conservative 50% of efficiency for the net used to capture micronekton, respiratory flux resulted in similar values for both communities. Gravitational (passive) flux measured using sediment traps increased from the oligotrophic toward the meso-and eutrophic zones. Total active flux (including respiration and estimated mortality, excretion, and gut flux) by zooplankton and micronekton accounted for about 25% of total flux (passive plus active) in oligotrophic zones. Total active flux also increased toward meso-and eutrophic zones, reaching about 80% of total flux and being at least twofold higher than passive flux. These results alert about an important underestimation of the ocean biological pump using only passive flux measurements.

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“…Information about the distribution and some age and growth parameters of Notoscopelus resplendens have been studied in the Central-Eastern Atlantic 14,46,49,63,64 ; however, this is the first time that data have been reported for lengths at first (L 50 ) and full (L 95 ) maturity, spawning season and fecundity of this lanternfish species in this region ( Table 1). www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Notoscopelus resplendens caught in Canarian waters ranged from 19.24 to 84.77 mm SL (0.050-5.660 g in weight), slightly larger than reported for individuals of its congeneric species N. elongatus kroeyeri in the Northeast Atlantic (18.81-67.76 mm SL, TL values converted with the SL-TL ratio estimated in this study) 31 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution to the reproductive ecology of Notoscopelus resplendens (Richardson, 1845) (Myctophidae) in the Central-Eastern Atlantic

Sarmiento‐Lezcano

Triay‐Portella

Guerra‐Marrero

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Notoscopelus resplendens is an abundant myctophid in the region of the Central-Eastern Atlantic. As with a majority of other myctophid species, this species performs vertical migration, playing a key role in the oceanic food web and in carbon sequestration. We examined the reproductive biology of N. resplendens based on 579 specimens caught between 1997 and 2002 off the Canary Islands. We found that the maximum standard length (SL) was lower than the size reported by other authors. The sex ratio was not different from 1:1. The average size at first maturity (L50) was higher in females (60.34 mm SL) than in males (56.61 mm SL). The gonadosomatic index (GSI) at 50% sexual maturity in females was higher than that in males. The reproductive activity was observed from January to April, while from May onwards, the majority of fish caught were in the process of maturation. The macroscopic scale of maturation was validated through the histological analysis of the ovarian development. The batch fecundity was related to the standard length, with an average of 1068.69 ± 369.84 eggs/spawn. These first data obtained for N. resplendens indicated that it is a batch spawner with asynchronous ovarian development.

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Variation in the diel vertical distributions of larvae and transforming stages of oceanic fishes across the tropical and equatorial Atlantic

Cited by 40 publications

References 73 publications

Feeding patterns of transforming and juvenile myctophids that migrate into neustonic layers

Feeding patterns of transforming and juvenile myctophids that migrate into neustonic layers

Zooplankton and Micronekton Active Flux Across the Tropical and Subtropical Atlantic Ocean

Contribution to the reproductive ecology of Notoscopelus resplendens (Richardson, 1845) (Myctophidae) in the Central-Eastern Atlantic

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