Studies on the Ecological Physiology of Midwater Animals

本研究将使用代谢功能的酶促指标和呼吸速率的直接测量来描述中水动物的代谢电位模式，作为发生深度、中水氧气最小值的存在和体型的函数。初步数据表明，以往基于生理复杂、视觉导向的鱼类和甲壳类的结论并不普遍适用于其他类群的微浮游动物和浮游动物，这些类群在以往的研究中很大程度上被忽视。这项研究将允许对比以前更广泛的动物进行调查，特别是那些结构上更脆弱的动物，使我们能够将代谢潜力变化模式的描述扩展到所有主要的中水类群（重点是毛齿动物、水母、蠕虫和软体动物，以及对栉水母和虹吸管的更肤浅的研究）。该研究旨在通过该生态系统实现碳通量的合成。该研究的应用将通过收集4100米加利福尼亚洋流水柱中主要水生动物群体的生物量数据，并使用代谢数据来估计该群落中浮游动物和微藻引起的呼吸碳通量来进行测试。

This study will use enzymatic indicators of metabolic function and direct measurements of respiratory rates to describe the pattern of metabolic potentials of midwater animals as a function of depth of occurrence, the presence of mid-depth oxygen minima, and body size. Preliminary data suggest that previous generalizations based on physiologically complex, visually-orienting fishes and crustaceans are not generally applicable to micronekton and zooplankton of other taxa which have largely been ignored in previous studies. This study will allow investigation of a broader range of animals than previously possible, especially those which are more fragile in structure, enabling us to extend the description of the patterns of variation in metabolic potential to all of the major midwater groups (with emphasis on chaetognaths, medusae, worms and molluscs and more superficial work on ctenophores and siphonophores). The research is directed at achieving a synthesis of the carbon fluxes through this ecosystem. This application of the research will be tested by collecting data on the biomass of the major groups of midwater animals in a 4100 m California Current water column and using the metabolic data to estimate respiratory carbon flux due to zooplankton and micronekton in this community.