The Biology of Gelatinous Zooplankton: Investigations on the Trophic Relationships of Salpa thompsoni and Salpa gerlachei in the Southern Ocean

在南极半岛附近的南大洋上分布着两种盐碱地，一种叫Salpa thompsoni，另一种叫S.gerlachei。众所周知，两者都形成了巨大的水华，几乎完全主导了生物量。了解这些物种的生物学知识对于了解发生在南大洋的营养关系和全球过程至关重要。该项目将调查这两个物种的摄食率、排泄率、同化效率、生长、繁殖和新陈代谢，以制定能量收支。SALP的行为将在野外进行研究，实验室实验将纳入这些野外观测。将在实验室和田间测量喂食率，并将结果进行比较。生长、繁殖和新陈代谢将在实验室进行测量。此外，将采用现场和实验室相结合的方法检查盐碱地的Hyperiid端足类寄生虫。这些寄生虫对盐碱地生长和繁殖的潜在影响也将被考虑。实验室将观察几种南极鱼类，以研究对盐分和其他胶状浮游动物的捕食。帕尔默站附近的一些鱼类大量摄取盐分。鱼将被喂以已知数量的胶状猎物，并将确定消化速度。这些研究将评估利用肠道内容物分析识别和量化胶状生物残留物的能力。这些研究将提供关于南大洋盐类营养地位的重要数据，这些盐类既是浮游植物的消费者，也是其他生物的猎物。这些研究是进一步研究南大洋浮游生物群落的招募和种群结构的重要前奏。此外，这里提出的研究将提供关于海洋浮游动物如何应对南大洋季节性变化的食物资源的基本信息。

Two species of salps, Salpa thompsoni and S. gerlachei, occur in the Southern Ocean near the Antarctic Peninsula. Both are known to form immense blooms that almost entirely dominate the biomass. A knowledge of the biology of these species is essential to understand the trophic relationships and global processes that occur in the Southern Ocean. This project will investigate the feeding rates, defecation rates, assimilation efficiency, growth, reproduction and metabolism of both species, in order to develop an energy budget. The behavior of salps will be studied in the field, and laboratory experiments will incorporate these field observations. Feeding rates will be measured both in the laboratory and in the field, and the results will be compared. Growth, reproduction and metabolism will be measured in the laboratory. In addition, the hyperiid amphipod parasites of salps will be examined using a combination of field and laboratory methods. The potential effect of these parasites on the growth and reproduction of salps will also be considered. Several species of Antarctic fish will be observed in the laboratory to study predation on salps and other gelatinous zooplankton. A number of fish that occur near Palmer Station feed heavily on salps. Fish will be fed known quantities of gelatinous prey, and digestion rates will be determined. These studies will assess the ability to identify and quantify the remains of gelatinous organisms with gut content analyses. These studies will provide important data on the trophic position of salps in the Southern Ocean, both as consumers of phytoplankton and as prey of other organisms. These studies are an essential prelude to further studies on recruitment and population structure in Southern Ocean planktonic communities. In addition, the research proposed herein will provide basic information on the ways in which oceanic zooplankton cope with the seasonally variable food resources of the Southern Ocean.